The Acadiana Advocate 10-17-2026 by The Advocate

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Kolluru shares plan for deficit

‘Lake Arthur Lotus’ by Francis X. Pavy

A life of art

UL president looks to eliminate $19.9m shortfall in two years BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer

Lafayette’s Francis X. Pavy recognized for work that showcases the music and culture of south Louisiana BY JAN RISHER Staff writer

Francis X. Pavy was 6 years old when he started art lessons with Elemore Morgan Jr. in Lafayette. Years later, when Pavy decided to make a life of art, he remembered those lessons as evidence that at least one real artist had lived in his hometown. He wanted to know who else there was. “What is our visual heritage?” he asked himself. He has spent the better part of ﬁve decades painting the answer in artwork that showcases the music and culture of south Louisiana. On Saturday at the O What a Night! Gala, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans will give Pavy its Opus Award, which recognizes people whose life’s work has shaped the art and culture of the American South, including artists, collectors and patrons. The Ogden has described the Opus as a lifetime achievement award. William Andrews, the museum’s ex-

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artist is anywhere near complete or finished with the powerful and impactful work that they’re doing,” Andrews said. He said Pavy’s work ﬁts the museum’s mission of “sense of place.” “Francis really embodies this concept of connectivity and relationship,” Andrews said. “There’s history, community, art and culture, but there’s also this really powerful and potent individual expression.” This year, Pavy shares the stage with collectors Michael and Stacey Burke. The pairing is by design. A few years ago, the Ogden began honoring artists alongside the patrons whose generosity keeps the museum’s work going, Andrews STAFF FILE PhOTO BY JAN RIShER said. This year’s honorees go back Artist Francis X. Pavy of Lafayette will decades. Michael Burke, who has collected for close to 50 years, was receive the Opus Award from the best man at the Pavys’ wedding. Ogden museum of Southern Art in His focus is the self-taught and New Orleans. folk art of the American South. The Burkes, who live in New Orleans and ecutive director, handles that phrase New York, have given a signiﬁcant with care. ä See ART, page 4A “You don’t want to suggest that an

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette ended fiscal year 2026 with a $10 million surplus after spending cuts and an infusion of $16 million in one-time state funding, President Ramesh Kolluru said Friday. But the university still faces a $19.9 million cumulative unrestricted deficit that Kolluru plans to eliminate over the next two years. Kolluru, who became president in February, said the university faced a $50 million recurring Kolluru structural deficit at the end of fiscal year 2025. “On the day I became interim president, on Nov. 13, 2025, we had $2.2 million in the bank,” Kolluru said. “I never prayed more than I prayed during those months.” Cuts during FY26 generated $17.8 million in

ä See DEFICIT, page 5A

Term limits for governors on ballot Amendment sets permanent maximum of two terms BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

When Louisianans head to the polls for early voting on Tuesday, they will decide whether to bar Louisiana governors from ever serving more than two H H H H H H terms. Currently, governors cannot serve more than two consecutive terms — but after spending time out of ofﬁce, they can run again. The lifetime limit would be implemented if more than 50% of voters approve Amendment 4, one of 10 proposed changes to the state constitution that will be decided next month. Proponents of the measure say it would help

ELECTION

‘Blue Runner’ by Francis X. Pavy

A Francis X. Pavy piece called ‘Dancers’ is featured on the cover of The Rolling Stones’ 7-inch single of Clifton Chenier’s classic song ‘Zydeco Son Pas Salés.’

ä See BALLOT, page 5A

Teen who killed 4 at Oregon school was former student, police say BY HAVEN DALEY and SAFIYAH RIDDLE Associated Press

BEND, Ore. — A teacher threw her phone at the teenage gunman who killed four people at an Oregon

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elementary school, then tackled and fought with him — likely saving lives before he was shot by a father who followed him into the building, police said Friday. City of Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz called the teacher’s actions

“heroic” during a news conference and said she was not injured. He identiﬁed the attacker as 16-yearold Grifﬁn J. John II and said all of the victims were shot in the same classroom. Authorities said John had been

a special needs student at Silver “Everyone wants to know why, Rail Elementary and had attacked including us,” he said. “We may a classroom with special needs stu- never get that full answer, but we dents. He ﬁred as many as 15 shots want it.” The police chief added that pofrom a 12-gauge shotgun and had about 44 rounds remaining when ä See TEEN, page 5A he was killed, Krantz said.

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Georgia amusement park to reopen after roller coaster death

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2 missiles strike airport in Yemen, officials say

ADEN, Yemen — Two missiles struck the airport in Yemen’s port city of Aden on Friday night, police said, blaming Iran-backed Houthi rebels for the second such attack on the airport in less than 10 days. Police said no casualties were reported as fighting escalates in the latest front in the Iran war, one in which the rebels have attacked both neighboring Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is backed by the kingdom. It was the second major attack in Aden in two days. The Houthis on Thursday killed at least five people in a strike on a palace complex in Aden, the seat of the government. An unnamed military official with the rebels told the Houthicontrolled Saba news agency that the group hit a military facility adjacent to the airport that houses a command center for the Saudi-led forces fighting the rebels, as well as a weapons depot there. The Houthis previously targeted the airport with two missiles on Oct. 7, with no casualties, officials said. This time, the Yemen government’s information minister said the missiles fell about 500 yards away from an airplane operated by Yemenia Airways as it was preparing to take off. A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, said its passengers were quickly evacuated.

Trudy weakens to Category 1 hurricane

MIAMI — Trudy weakened Friday afternoon in its slow movement towards west-central areas of Mexico’s Paciﬁc coast, although some strengthening could occur through Saturday, forecasters said. It had been reported as Category 3 early Friday, but the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said satellite wind data showed it was weaker than indicated and reports from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft showed that Trudy has weakened to a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 85 mph by Friday afternoon. Trudy was about 225 miles southwest of Acapulco, in the Mexican state of Guerrero, and about 325 miles south-southeast of Manzanillo, Colima state, while moving northwest slightly slower, at 5 mph, the center said. A hurricane warning was in effect for Mexico’s coast from Manzanillo, in Colima state, northward to Playa Perula, in Jalisco. Forecasters said it is expected to move slightly faster during the next few days.

Norwegian teen gets 20 years in murder plot

LONDON — A Norwegian teenager convicted of traveling to Britain to carry out a contract killing on behalf of an international crime gang linked to Iran was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison. Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, was found guilty in July of conspiracy to murder for agreeing to shoot an unknown target for $28,000 last year. He was arrested at a hotel in Huddersfield in northern England with two guns and ammunition two days after arriving in the U.K. Natland admitted to possessing the ﬁrearms and ammunition, but said that he didn’t want to go through with the plan. Natland, who was working part time at a pizza restaurant at the time of his arrest, was recruited by a Swedish organized crime group known as the Foxtrot Network while he was playing a game online. The group has links to the Iranian government, according to counterterrorism ofﬁcers from London’s Metropolitan Police. Natland was hired by a 17-yearold known as “Generalen.” A court in Norway convicted the teenager last year of attempting to “contribute to murder” and sentenced him to 14 years in custody. Three more people have been charged by Norwegian police, with a decision yet to be made by prosecutors whether to indict them.

BY KATE BRUMBACK and RUSS BYNUM Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS PhOTO BY DENIS POROY

U.S. Coast Guardsmen work on a helicopter on Friday at Coast Guard Station San Diego. Sixteen people were rescued from the Pacific Ocean off mexico’s Baja California coast on Friday after the U.S. Coast Guard responded to a mayday call reporting the vessel was sinking.

16 people rescued off Mexico’s Baja coast A person on the vessel transmitted the U.S. Coast Guard continues May Day call saying it was sinking, he search after responding said. It was unclear if any of the passengers were wearing life vests, he said. to distress call One rescued person said as many as 27

BY JULIE WATSON and MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Sixteen people were rescued from the Pacific Ocean off Mexico’s Baja California coast on Friday after the U.S. Coast Guard responded to a mayday call reporting the vessel was sinking. Another 11 people were believed missing. The boat’s origin, destination and what it was doing were not clear. It went down in an area frequented by smugglers transporting migrants to the U.S., but which is also popular with fishing and leisure boats. One rescued person was being treated for a suspected shark bite and two people were in critical condition, authorities said. By the time crews reached the area “people were holding onto each other, to debris, just treading and trying to stay above water before being rescued,” Coast Guard Lt. Santiago Tamburini said. No vessel, only debris, was found and it was unclear what type of boat was involved, the Coast Guard in San Diego said. It received reports of 27 people in the water approximately 140 miles west of Ensenada, Mexico, after getting the distress call at about 1 a.m. Friday. “Boats in that area can be for fishing, leisure, personal recreation. We just don’t know what they were doing out there. We all know it’s a suspected smuggling route,” Tamburini said. “The sea is unforgiving” in that area, he added, and it was unclear if the vessel got lost, had engine failure, was swept out to sea or meant to go that far.

people had been on board, Petty Officer Chris Sappey said. Two of the people rescued were Mexican nationals, the Coast Guard said in a statement. Those rescued were flown by helicopter to San Diego and transported to hospitals. Three were taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, including the person with a suspected shark bite and two people treated for cold exposure, said hospital spokesperson Janice Collins. Three others were evaluated at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla and later discharged, said Steve Carpowich, a Scripps Health spokesperson. Two patients were in critical condition, said Matt Hoffman, a spokesperson for the city of San Diego. It was not clear if that included the suspected shark bite victim or the two people with cold exposure. The Coast Guard and U.S. Navy were searching the area with two helicopters, a fixed-wing plane, a cutter and a Navy combat ship. The Mexican Navy also launched a search and rescue operation from Ensenada, which is about 80 miles south of San Diego by road. Conditions on the water at 1 a.m. Friday appeared to be windy but fairly typical for the area, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Jonathan Suk in San Diego. Winds out of the north and northwest measured about 10 knots and waves measured 5 feet at a buoy north of Ensenada, he said. “I wouldn’t want to be out there in a sea kayak,” Suk said. “For the vessels that usually operate out there, they’re usually built to handle things like that.”

Combs moved to new prison after reports of luxury lifestyle in prison hip-hop mogul convicted on prostitution-related charges BY MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press

NEW YORK — Sean “Diddy” Combs has been moved to a federal prison in Pennsylvania after reports that the hip-hop mogul was living the high life and was injured in a fight at his New Jersey lockup, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Friday. The federal Bureau of Prisons is transferring Combs, 56, from FCI Fort Dix to FCI Allenwood Low, a low-security facility south of Williamsport and about 155 miles west of New York City, the person said. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and Combs did so on condition of anonymity. The Bureau of Prisons confirmed the move but provided no further details. The agency said it does not discuss conditions of confinement for anyone in its custody, including reasons for transfer, for privacy, safety, and security reasons. “Decisions about inmate placement are made by the BOP, and we are not in a position to speak to the circumstances surrounding this transfer,” said Combs’ spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer. “Sean remains focused on moving forward, and we hope that his time at the new facility will be productive and without unnecessary disruption.” Combs is serving a four-year, two-

month sentence for his conviction last year on prostitution-related charges for transporting people across state lines for sexual encounters. The case featured harrowing testimony about violence and sex parties he called “freak-offs.” It was a forceful reckoning for one of music and entertainment’s most influential figures. Last month, NBC News reported that Combs was continuing to enjoy aspects of his millionaire lifestyle at FCI Fort Dix, smuggling in Hennessy, having fellow inmates cook, clean, make his bed and give him massages, and using a contraband cellphone to view social media and an ex-girlfriend’s nude selfies. On Wednesday, TMZ reported that Combs was injured in a fight with another inmate at Fort Dix and had to be taken out of the prison for treatment. In a rare rebuttal, the Bureau of Prisons refuted TMZ’s report, telling the AP: “The story you are referring to is false and did not happen.” In the wake of the NBC report, Combs was placed in the prison’s special housing unit, a heavily secured part of the facility away from the general population, for inmates with disciplinary issues or security concerns. He has also been docked 41 days of good-conduct credit, pushing his release date back to March 2, 2028, according to the person familiar with the matter. In April, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in Combs’ bid to overturn his conviction and sentence, which his lawyers argued was too harsh. The court has yet to rule.

ATLANTA — Six Flags Over Georgia is set to open its gates Friday evening for the ﬁrst time since a man fell to his death from one of the amusement park’s towering roller coasters. Hassan Jihad Ibn Kariem, a 42-year-old school employee from Atlanta, was thrown from the Goliath coaster on Monday, and authorities are investigating what happened. The park was already scheduled to be closed Tuesday through Thursday and is reopening as scheduled Friday evening, though Goliath is not expected to be running. Witnesses described seeing Kariem ejected from the coaster, and some people who rode the Goliath before him that day said they had concerns about its restraints. Six Flags Over Georgia’s park president, Richard Pretlow, issued a statement Friday afternoon thanking patrons for their support, offering condolences to Kariem’s family and reiterating the park’s commitment to safety. “While serious incidents of this nature are exceedingly rare, we never take responsibility to our guests for granted and remain committed to continuously strengthening our operations and safety practices,” Pretlow said. Local officials in Cobb County, where Six Flags is located, declined to discuss any investigative ﬁndings during a news conference Friday. Assistant Police Chief Damon Ballard said county police plan to wait for state investigators to determine what went wrong before deciding whether criminal charges are warranted. Cobb County’s elected commission chairperson, Lisa Cupid, was asked what she might say to reassure patrons that Six Flags is safe. She said people should “use their judgment.” The Georgia coaster

passed its latest annual state inspection in March with no safety violations found, according to an Associated Press review of documents obtained from the Georgia agency that inspects amusement park rides. Inspections from 2016 to 2021 found a total of 18 safety violations related to the ride that included corrosion on welds, loose handrails in the waiting area and maintenance needed on grout and padding around the ride’s support structure. Inspectors said Six Flags corrected each violation within days. None of the problems appeared to involve the ride’s restraints. At least 11 roller coasters in the U.S. and Canada — including the ride on which Kariem died — have been temporarily closed. They were all manufactured by the same company and equipped with similar restraints. Online photos and videos of the coasters show each equipped with clamshell restraints, which are mounted in front of each seat on a vertical bar that sit between the rider’s knees. The bar locks the padded restraint into place over the rider’s lap and upper legs. It’s unclear from the images whether any of those coasters also have seat belts or other secondary restraints. Goliath in Georgia has no such backup restraints. Goliath’s manufacturer, the Swiss company Bolliger & Mabillard, was granted a U.S. patent for its clamshell restraint system in September 2001. In the patent document, the company states that most roller coasters bind riders in “very tight retention devices” that “detract from their comfort.” It says the company’s clamshell restraints give each rider a sensation “that he is seated on a ﬂying carpet or that he is at the controls of a kind of ﬂying scooter, while still guaranteeing optimum security.”

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Fight over evidence in Murdaugh retrial turns to DNA BY JEFFREY COLLINS Associated Press

LEXINGTON, S.C. — Alex Murdaugh’s defense can do their own tests of unidentified DNA found under his wife’s ﬁngernails after she and her son were shot to death in 2021, a judge said Friday, part of an increasingly bitter battle over what evidence can be used in his murder retrial next year. The DNA belonged to a male who was not a member of the Murdaugh family, and investigators haven’t found a match. Although this piece of DNA evidence didn’t feature prominently in the ﬁrst trial in 2023, the defense wants to test it themselves at a private lab. The judge called Friday’s hearing after Murdaugh’s lawyers filed a flurry of motions saying prosecutors were dragging their feet sharing evidence. Murdaugh, a once-rich and imposing heir to a Southern legal dynasty, is scheduled to face another jury in April over the killings of his wife,

case has captivated the true crime world with its mix of treachery, corruption, power and Southern accents. Judge Debra McCaslin refused to let the defense examine every casing and bullet found in shootings for the past five years in eight surrounding counties involving the same type of gun as one of the weapons used in the killings. The judge called it a fishing expedition. “If there’s any casings that come through that’s going to match this crime, red flags are going up,” McCaslin said of testing the state has done on all the evidence. “Bells are going to ring and you’re going to know something is going on, and none of that ASSOCIATED PRESS PhOTO BY TRACY GLANTZ has happened.” Prosecuting attorney Creighton Waters, left, and defense attorney Dick harpootlian speak The judge ended Friday’s Friday during an evidentiary hearing over a retrial of Alex murdaugh for the murder of his hearing by admonishing wife, maggie, and younger son, Paul, at the Lexington County Judicial Center in Lexington, both sides to be professional and not turn the trial into a S.C. circus, after barbed comMaggie, and younger son, a thief, insurance cheat, bad The state Supreme Court ments like “facts matter” Paul, on their sprawling lawyer and longtime opi- overturned his convictions and “glad to hear it.” property in the rural Low- oid addict, the 58-year-old earlier this year, ruling that “Y’all need to stop this, country region of South Car- Murdaugh has adamantly a court clerk influenced ju- OK?” McCaslin said. “I don’t rors during his trial. The want this tit for tat between olina. While admitting he is denied the killings.

y’all. Y’all are lawyers — you’re professionals. This is a court. This isn’t a sound bite.” Regardless of what happens in his next murder trial, Murdaugh will remain in prison. He is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence after pleading guilty to stealing millions of dollars from clients. Prosecutors said Murdaugh killed his wife and son because his law firm was close to discovering that he was stealing, and he thought the sympathy generated by the killings would buy him time to fix things. Murdaugh wore a dark suit in court on Friday because the judge has ruled that wearing his prison jumpsuit during pretrial hearings could influence future jurors into thinking he’s guilty. The judge has moved the trial to another county, saying extensive publicity surrounding the case in Murdaugh’s home county could prevent a fair trial.

Source: White House press secretary Katie Zacharia leaving job She held position less than a week BY WILL WEISSERT, SEUNG MIN KIM and MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Katie Zacharia is departing as White House press secretary, a person familiar with the matter said Friday, after a short and rocky tenure that was defined by questions about her professional background and lack of polish in ﬁelding questions from journalists. The person, granted anonymity to discuss a personnel decision not yet made

public, said Zacharia would tor had long called herself be transitioning out of the a lawyer when she had not role. The shift comes after passed a bar exam nor was President Donald Trump otherwise credentialed to cast significant doubt on her practice. future earlier Friday, tellZacharia was a surprise choice when Trump ing reporters that announced her aphe would have a dispointment on Oct. 9, cussion with her folas the successor to lowing his weekend Karoline Leavitt, the travel — and that if youngest-ever White he were her, he would House press secrereconsider the job. Zacharia had come tary who had been under immediate Zacharia part of Trump’s inscrutiny when she ner circle for years. appeared uncomThe chaotic nature fortable during her inau- of Zacharia’s appointment gural briefing on Tuesday, and subsequent downfall delivering halting remarks evoked some of the persontouting the president and nel messes of the president’s his accomplishments. Her first term, which had largely 14-minute briefing was fol- been absent from his seclowed by criticism that the ond. In a lengthy exchange conservative commenta-

Pope speaks with Putin while recovering from lung surgery

tion in the city of Oleshky, “detailed explanation reLeo XIv in the Kherson region, and garding the Kyiv regime’s called for a ceaseﬁre to al- responsibility for the difﬁdenounces recent low the delivery of food and cult humanitarian situation attacks by Russia medical assistance, and the there,” the Kremlin said in

BY NICOLE WINFIELD and PAOLO SANTALUCIA

Associated Press

ROME — Pope Leo XIV gave strong indications Friday that he was recovering well from lung cancer surgery and was very much in charge of running the Catholic Church, speaking on Leo XIV the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting with top aides and celebrating Mass in a makeshift hospital chapel. The Vatican said that during the call with Putin, “the Holy Father expressed his deep concern about the grave humanitarian situa-

voluntary and safe evacuation of the civilian population.” The statement added that Leo “reaffirmed the Holy See’s commitment to promoting dialogue and peace.” The statement was significant, showing Leo was well enough to conduct official diplomatic business from the Gemelli hospital, was keeping up with world events and was continuing to promote his message of peace as he recovers from surgery. The Kremlin readout of the call suggested progress had actually been made on the humanitarian front. The Kremlin said Putin wished Leo good health and a quick recovery. In response to the pope’s concern about the plight of civilians in the frontline town of Oleshky, Putin gave a

a statement. Putin voiced support for “the Vatican’s intention to help create conditions for ensuring the safety of the local population and facilitating the delivery of essential supplies,” and an agreement was reached to coordinate efforts in this regard, the statement said. Also Friday, the Vatican released the first images of Leo since his lung cancer surgery Oct. 13, showing him standing up at the altar in green vestments, as doctors said that tests confirmed his “continued improvement.” The 71-year-old Leo had the lower lobe of his right lung removed after doctors identiﬁed a suspected cancerous nodule. The surgery conﬁrmed he had adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer.

DOJ reaches settlement with Miss. police department it found violated civil rights BY SOPHIE BATES Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. — The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday it reached a settlement forcing reforms in a Mississippi city and its police department, which the DOJ found discriminated against Black people, used excessive force and retaliated against critics. The settlement comes after a scathing 2024 DOJ report said the Lexington Police Department routinely violated citizens’ civil rights in the rural, poor, majority-Black city located about 65 miles north of the state’s capital. Police targeted Black people

for arrests, made arrests for low-level offenses to generate money for the police department and locked people up for extended periods of time if they could not afford to pay ﬁnes, according to the report. The out-of-court settlement requires the City of Lexington and its police department to reform practices on a number of issues — from fines and bail to stops, searches and use of force — and bring them into compliance with state and federal law. The Associated Press called and emailed city and police department ofﬁcials but did not immediately re-

ceive responses. The agreement bars the Lexington police from continuing to jail people for unpaid fines without first assessing whether they can afford to pay them, a practice that violates the Fourteenth Amendment. The 2024 report found the city court had issued arrest warrants for more than 650 people, roughly half of the city’s population, for unpaid fines. The city and the Lexington Police Department must also dismiss all existing warrants for unpaid fines and fees that violate the law and move to expunge the records of all unlawful fine-based convictions.

with reporters at the White House on Friday, Trump said he told Zacharia that she might want to change her mind about the job, and said he thought she had been treated unfairly by the press. “I told her, ‘I think you’re better off being happy,’” Trump told reporters on the South Lawn as he left for a rally in Georgia. “I said, ‘Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider.’ I said, ‘You think about it, but I would reconsider.’” Messages to Zacharia seeking comment were not returned on Friday, and the White House did not respond to a request for conﬁrmation. In his own comments, Trump said he told his

press secretary, “’Katie, do you need this? I don’t think you need this,’” and that he wanted “her to have a good life” and not be subjected to criticism, which he likened to being “brutalized by the media.” The president said he’d make a final determination later, perhaps after his campaign travel on Friday and this weekend, adding, “When I get back, we’re gonna talk.” He was asked who might replace Zacharia, and said that there were a lot of people who wanted the job. In Zacharia’s first and only briefing on Tuesday, she took questions from just three reporters, all from conservative-leaning or Trumpfriendly outlets, and left after only about 14 minutes.

Zacharia has said she wanted to keep her briefing short to ensure Trump had enough time later that morning for his own question-and-answer session with reporters, and that she had not been fully briefed by White House staff beforehand. She later traveled with Trump when he held rallies on Wednesday and Thursday in Alaska, Arizona and Montana — but did not hold more press briefings. In an appearance on Fox News Channel earlier Friday, Zacharia was asked if she had the president’s confidence and responded: “I hope to be able to build the trust and confidence of everyone around me.” But she also wouldn’t say when her next press briefing might be.

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PROvIDED PhOTO

Artist Francis X. Pavy works in his studio in the Freetown area of Lafayette in 2017.

ART

Continued from page 1A portion of that collection to the Ogden. They have donated more than 80 works by 50 artists, along with 30 photographs. Their gifts include the museum’s first works by Bill Traylor and Sam Doyle. The exhibit, “Burke’s Delight: The Stacey and Michael Burke Collection,” will run at the museum through Feb. 28, 2027. Anyone who has spent time in south Louisiana has likely seen Pavy’s artwork, often without knowing the name of the artist. The work is crowded and bright. Accordion players share the frame with saints. Cane ﬁelds burn behind dancehalls. Crosses, candles and creatures drift through the same night sky. Bradley Sumrall, the Ogden’s curator of the collection, has made a list of some of Pavy’s subjects, including “white dogs and cane

fields, night blossoms and death’shead hawkmoths, candles and crosses, light poles and houses on fire.” Sumrall also comments on the part of Pavy’s work that most people notice first: “And there is color. Good lord, is there color!” But Pavy didn’t arrive at painting directly. After studying with Morgan in Lafayette, he explored sculpture, ceramics, photography, printmaking and neon. He also worked with leaded glass. Sumrall said the influence of leaded glass remains in the black lines and flat planes of color in Pavy’s work. It shows up in the way light seems to come from behind the canvas instead of falling on it. For years, people have called Pavy “the Picasso of Zydeco.” Sumrall says the nickname is good but incomplete. “I feel like Francis has found a way to paint the sound of Louisiana,” Sumrall wrote. “Not just zydeco, swamp pop or Cajun mu-

STAFF FILE PhOTO BY BRAD BOWIE Francis X. Pavy painted the 2017 New Orleans Jazz and heritage Festival commemorative poster.

sic, but the whole symphony of life here.” That’s because Pavy learned the music up close. He played with Dewey Balfa and Balfa’s brothers, Will and Rodney. Clifton Chenier’s songs and stories worked their way into his pictures. Saxophonist Dickie Landry, whom Pavy calls his biggest mentor, introduced him to sculptor Keith Sonnier, of Mamou. Landry opened other doors too. He played on Paul Simon’s “Graceland.” When Simon and his close friend Lorne Michaels came down to visit Landry, Pavy spent time with both men. Each bought his work. The pair later talked about one of Pavy’s pieces on camera for the documentary series “Iconoclasts.” Around 1990, Michaels invited Pavy and his wife, Cathi, to New York for a “Saturday Night Live” season ﬁnale. The artist’s work can be seen in Michaels’ ofﬁce in the 2026 documentary “Lorne.”

Andrews said the Ogden’s curators judge an artist ﬁrst on artistic merit, exhibitions and place in the collection. But he doesn’t discount the way Francis Pavy’s work travels. “People enjoy the work. People celebrate the work. People relate to the work,” Andrews said. Michaels, Andrews pointed out, could collect any artist he wanted. A Francis Pavy piece called “Dancers” is featured on the cover of The Rolling Stones’ 7-inch single of Clifton Chenier’s classic song “Zydeco Son Pas Salé.” “To use a technical term,” Andrews said, “it’s very cool.” Francis Pavy brings a serious command of process and technique, Andrews said, to “what we appreciate in the South, which is storytelling and myth and culture and history.” Cathi Pavy sees the award as a recognition of a place as much as a person. Her husband is the ﬁrst Lafayette artist to receive the award, but the city is a place tied to artis-

tic greats. Robert Rauschenberg’s family lived in Lafayette. Sonnier came from Mamou. Roger Ogden, whose collection founded the museum, grew up in the same Lafayette neighborhood as Francis Pavy. “Small town,” she said. “Heavy hitters.” Francis Pavy said he plans to accept the honor on behalf of Lafayette and all of Acadiana. He said he’s grateful to people who rarely get a mention at a gala — “the craftsmen, the Sunday painters, the frame shop owners.” He knows the Sunday painters ﬁrsthand. Earlier this year, he led printmaking workshops in Lafayette, open to anyone willing to pay a modest fee. Andrews said Francis Pavy joins a tradition of artists in the Ogden’s collection who have also taught. “It takes a whole range of creative minds to create a living culture,” Francis Pavy wrote, “and I’m grateful I was able to place my small paver on the road of our collective journey.”

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lll

The Acadiana Advocate l theadvocate.com l Saturday, October 17, 2026 l 5A

TEEN

Continued from page 1A lice are also still trying to determine how the shooter obtained the gun. The attacker’s mother, Shauntai Nickerson, told reporters outside her apartment near the school that if she could have done something to prevent the shooting, she would have. “I miss my boy,” Nickerson said, sobbing and crying, according to The New York Times and CNN. “I’m so sorry, I wish I could have done something. I’m sorry for their loss.” She declined to say how the 16-year-old obtained the pumpaction shotgun and didn’t comment further when The Associated Press and other outlets knocked on her apartment door later. In a 2020 interview with the local news station KTVZ, Nickerson identified the boy, then 10, as a participant in a special needs program run by the school district. It was called NEST, for Nurturing Empathy, Safety and Trust, and aimed at helping students experiencing intensive behavioral and social skill challenges. Nickerson said he struggled trying to learn from home during the pandemic. The first 911 call came from the driver of a red pickup truck early Thursday afternoon who saw the boy throw his gun over a fence outside the school and then climb over it, Krantz said. The driver yelled at the boy, who fired at him, striking the truck three times. The driver was not injured, but drove off and called for help. A second driver, a 36-year-old man whose children attend Silver Rail, saw John shooting at the truck and heading toward the school. He pulled into the parking lot, grabbed his .40-caliber pistol and followed the attacker inside. He saw John wrestling with

DEFICIT

Continued from page 1A savings. Kolluru said the university plans to reduce the remaining deficit by $9 million in FY27 and another $10.9 million in FY28. “There’s not much more to be cut,” Kolluru said. “There was nothing easy about what we did last year, but there was some low-hanging fruit. There was some fat that could be cut, but now there is not that. We have to focus on revenue growth.” “We are going to do this in two years, not one year, because the alternative will be bloody, and I’m not prepared for that. I’m not going to ask my campus to be prepared for that.” Proposed remedial action for current fiscal year 2027 includes reducing student “melt” in the spring semester by 20%, or 257 students (the number of students who drop out between the fall and spring semesters). This would create a financial impact of roughly $1.5 million. He is also asking for midyear operational budget cuts of 5%, as well as reductions in purchasing and travel to

BALLOT

Continued from page 1A

bring fresh leadership to the state, while critics say voters ought to be able to elect whomever they choose, regardless of whether that person has previously served. State Rep. Mike Bayham, R-Chalmette, who sponsored the legislation that put Amendment 4 on the ballot, said term limits help bring fresh perspectives to government and give candidates with fewer resources than established politicians a fairer shot at being elected. “Bringing back recycled politicians isn’t the path forward,” Bayham said. “It just hearkens back to: There are big personalities that dominated our state that are more sizzle than steak.” The amendment could prevent former Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat with conservative views on issues like abortion and gun laws — and who could threaten Republicans’ hold on the state — from running for ofﬁce again.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PhOTO BY hAvEN DALEY

A person places flowers at a makeshift memorial on the other side of Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Ore., on Friday, a day after a deadly shooting. the teacher and shot him several times, Krantz said. Police found John dead in the school minutes after the ﬁrst calls for help, Krantz said. John shot through locked doors to get inside, police said. The children who were killed were ages 5, 8 and 11, Krantz said. Three children ages 5, 8 and 11, and teacher Meghan Lambert, 25, were killed, police said. Another 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were wounded and were taken to a hospital in critical condition, Krantz said. The youngest victim was a fast runner and fearless climber who loved reading and his stuffed animals, his aunt said Friday.

“He never met a stuffie that he didn’t think needed to be rescued and cared for,” said his aunt, Swan Sheridan, who described him as “a little ball of energy from the moment he was born.” The wounded teacher was identified by family as Becky Drury. Her mother-in-law, Yvonne Drury, said on Facebook that she had injuries to her left arm and right hand and was recovering from surgery. The pump-action shotgun the attacker used was bought by his mother, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the shooting. The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss

reach this year’s goal of $9 million in debt reduction. About $4 million of that is anticipated to come from increased philanthropic and sponsorship revenue. “We know that this university cannot grow to greatness by just cuts alone,” Kolluru said. Addressing the possibility of midyear cuts, he said that they should not translate to layoffs. He assured faculty that travel on grants and other funding sources would continue, and has directed the travel team to streamline approval processes. “There are areas of the university that are generating revenue, that are achieving our student success mission, and other aspects of what we need from a margin perspective. My guidance to the vice president and the deans is to look at areas where they can reduce spending by 5%.” Reduction goals in FY28 include property sales, adding 300 students to summer enrollment, and further growing sponsorship and auxiliary revenue. The planned ﬁnancial impact for that year is $12 million, with $5.5 million coming from increased student enrollment.

Enrolling 500 additional students in fall 2027 will create a $5.5 million impact, according to Kolluru. Enrollment fell this year by 2.5%, to 15,702 students. Earlier this fall, the university took the step of removing nearly 400 students who had not paid fees or were not meeting academic standards, a move that Kolluru said created a more accurate baseline for planning. “Last year at this time there were 4,900 students that cumulatively owed the university 18 million dollars,” he told the audience, emphasizing that they still have a goal to increase enrollment to 27,500 students by 2035. Other issues raised by Kolluru and audience members at the town hall included plans to disburse $500,000 in the October pay cycle for faculty raises at the lower end of the pay scale, impacting around 100 faculty members. The university plans to begin a market salary study for unclassiﬁed staff during FY27. He also apologized to faculty and staff for an announcement over the summer that all employees

But some attorneys have argued the law may not apply to Edwards because it does not include speciﬁc language making it retroactive. State Rep. Kyle Green, D-Marrero, has taken that argument a step further. He says the amendment could allow Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, to run for a third consecutive term because it strikes from the constitution language dealing with consecutive gubernatorial terms. Green generally opposes term limits, saying they are “anti-democratic.” “You should put your record up against anyone and let the public decide who they want,” he said. Bayham contends Amendment 4, which was put on the ballot through Act 414 of the spring legislative session, is straightforward: It will apply to people who have already served as governor, and it will not allow Landry to run for a third term, he said. Landry is in his ﬁrst term and faces reelection next year. A spokesperson for Landry said the governor does not want to seek a third

term and provided a statement from him in response to a question about whether he would support Amendment 4. “I am done with amendments. The people have an opportunity to read them, but I am done with amendments,” Landry said. “I am not inﬂuencing amendments.” Landry backed a set of amendments in the spring that voters resoundingly rejected. In the Louisiana Legislature, opposition to putting Amendment 4 on the ballot came mostly from Democrats. There were, however, a handful of Democrats who backed the proposal, which needed a two-thirds vote to pass. The other constitutional amendments on the ballot this fall deal with property tax laws, drinking water lines and post-conviction bail, among other issues. Early voting runs from Oct. 20-27, excluding Sunday, Oct. 25. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Email Meghan Friedmann at meghan.friedmann@ theadvocate.com.

the investigation. Under Oregon law, a minor may possess a shotgun if provided by a parent or by someone else with the parent’s consent. In a statement read to reporters Friday, Kenda Freeman said her son, Kaylub Giamanco, shot the gunman in Thursday’s attack at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend. She said he is the father of two girls at the school. “He is not seeking recognition, but instead wishes to express his gratitude to the ﬁrst responders, school personnel and community for the outpouring of love and support,” Freeman said, noting that her son is a lifelong resident of Bend, a mountain-ringed city of

would switch to a biweekly pay schedule — a plan that has now been rolled back for faculty, and is on hold for some staff pending the results of a survey. On Monday, UL will begin a search for a position that Kolluru described as “Athletic CEO,” to serve in place of an athletic director. To an

about 100,000 in central Oregon. She said her family was asking for privacy “during this difficult time.” Silver Rail Elementary has students in kindergarten through fifth grade, with about 450 enrolled last year, according to the Oregon Department of Education. Classes and all other activities were canceled Friday for schools across Bend, a tourism and outdoor recreation hub that has ballooned in population and sits about 125 miles southeast of Portland. The shooting was the 28th mass killing in the U.S. this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. President Donald Trump on Friday praised the actions of a “great hero” who he said “took care of business.” “It’s a terrible thing, but thank goodness for a man that had a gun and knew how to use it,” Trump told reporters at the White House, adding the tragedy likely would have been much worse. At a news conference hours after Thursday’s attack, Gov. Tina Kotek — without naming Giamanco — said he had followed the gunman into the school and helped end the rampage as police began arriving. “Your actions carry a heavy emotional burden, and I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well,” said Kotek. Memorials with flowers, balloons and stuffed animals popped up around the school, which sits in a densely packed neighborhood filled with newly built homes. Brooke Olsen, whose daughter is a kindergartner at Silver Rail, said she was amazed that someone pursued the shooter. “I think it’s miraculous that someone was there before law enforcement even arrived to stop further tragedy from happening,” Olsen said Friday, weeping at times. “I’m feeling very grateful.”

audience member who questioned spending on athletics while the university is cutting costs, Kolluru said that athletics programs are considered integral to university operations and a strong source of future revenue. “There’s only one Ragin’ Cajuns. It is one of the best brands in the country,” he

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6A l Saturday, October 17, 2026 l theadvocate.com l The Acadiana Advocate

TODAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

Less humid; breezy in the a.m.

Partly sunny and nice

mostly sunny and pleasant

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

72° 46°

LOW

HIGH

75° 50°

LOW

78° 53°

Beaumont 72/51

HIGH

LOW

81° 51°

Port Arthur 71/55

Hattiesburg 72/44

Baton Rouge 74/46

Lake Charles 73/48

New Orleans 73/58 Houma 71/51

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

10s

20s

30s

40s

50s

HIGH

LOW

HIGH

84° 52°

LOW

84° 56°

YESTERDAY

TODAY

READING 54 mAIN POLLUTANT Particulates

mAIN POLLUTANT Ozone

Lafayette through 5 p.m. Friday

Alexandria 73/44

Lafayette 72/46

As expected, the cold front moved through yesterday evening, our temperatures dropped off dramatically and winds have increased significantly. Expect a mostly sunny, mild and windy Saturday with temperatures that will rise to the low to mid-70s. Winds will be north at 15 mph with gust up to 25 mph. There is a wind advisory and gale warning in effect until 1 p.m. and a red flag warning until 8 p.m. If you’re tailgating in Natchitoches for mcNeese vs Northwestern, it will be chilly and windy. For the UL game, it’ll be sunny, windy and 74 degrees.

THURSDAY

Plenty of sunshine Plenty of sunshine Plenty of sunshine

Jackson 71/44 Many 73/43

WEDNESDAY

TEMPERATURE

Longview 70/43

-0s

TUESDAY

Monroe 71/42

Shreveport 71/44

-10s

lll

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 FIRST

OCT 18

City

Austin Boston Dallas Fairbanks honolulu Las vegas Louisville miami Nashville

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

88°/68° 81°/60° 88°/61° 94° in 2015 39° in 1901

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

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

HIGH

12:03p 6:18a 2:57a 3:16a 2:00a 1:02a 3:08a

7:11 a.m. 6:35 p.m. 1:34 p.m. 11:44 p.m.

FULL

LAST

OCT 25

70 52 67 36 86 79 58 88 61

TODAY Lo

44 37 48 23 75 63 39 74 40

NEW

NOV 1

pc pc s c pc s s t s

NOV 9

73 52 71 32 87 80 66 81 70

mODERATE

PRECIPITATION

SUN. Lo

45 44 49 22 75 60 41 76 39

s s s pc sh s s t s

FT.

LOW

0.00” 0.89” 2.32” 47.05” 51.02”

FT.

HIGH

0.9 12:07a 0.2 2.0 7:12p 0.5 2.3 1:32p 0.6 2.0 5:37p 0.4 1.5 2:15p 0.3 2.0 12:34p 0.4 1.9 3:17p 0.3

SOURCE: LOUISIANA DEQ AND AIRNOW.GOv

FT.

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

LOW

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

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 Sunday monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

5:08a 11:20a 5:58a 12:10p 6:46a 12:34a 7:29a 1:18a 8:10a 1:59a 8:48a 2:37a 9:26a 3:15a

City

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

TODAY

73 78 55 80 51 57 59 89 79

58 67 40 66 31 40 40 65 62

5:33p 11:45p 6:23p ---7:09p 12:57p 7:52p 1:40p 8:32p 2:21p 9:10p 2:59p 9:49p 3:37p

pc t pc t s r s s t

GOOD

74 81 60 81 59 62 67 86 81

SUN. Lo

60 68 44 68 34 42 41 66 65

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

pc c s t s s s s c

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

FLOOD STAGE

34 48 48 35 27 22 17

FRI. 24-HOUR STAGE CHANGE

5.30 24.80 26.50 11.50 6.80 4.36 4.30

-0.06 +0.38 +0.60 +0.60 +0.50 +0.35 +0.38

22.74

+1.39

-1.59

-0.01

18 29 8

-1.34 9.71 2.47

-0.01 +0.01 +0.01

13 15

1.39 0.56

+0.01 -0.01

47 34 29 20 12 6

10.47 7.08 5.61 5.00 4.00 2.48

+0.38 +0.36 +0.19 +0.26 +0.10 none

data as of 7 a.m. Friday

Multiple California homes set ablaze in wildfire BY OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ and JAIMIE DING Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — A fastmoving fire burned multiple homes in Southern California as hot, windy weather gripped the region Friday, prompting evacuations and power outages. TV footage on KTLA showed several homes burning in San Juan Capistrano in Orange County, flames engulfing them. Aerial footage from TV crews showed firefighters spraying two-story suburban homes with flames leaping out of their roofs. Black smoke billowed over tennis courts and backyard swimming pools. The wildfire started in the coastal city of San Clemente and quickly moved into San Juan Capistrano. It was one of several fires burning in the region that was hit by dry, warm and gusty northeast winds known as Santa Anas, which blow from the interior of Southern California toward the coast and offshore, were forecast. The strongest winds were expected through Friday afternoon. The fires have led to evacuations and tens of thousands of people in the state without power after their electricity

ASSOCIATED PRESS PhOTO BY JAE C. hONG

A tanker drops retardant on the Peak Fire on Thursday in Azusa, Calif. was turned off. The cities are in southern Orange County near the coast and surrounded by hillsides. San Juan Capistrano, a city of 35,000, is known for horse trails while nearby San Clemente, which is home to 62,000 people, is known as a “Spanish village by the sea” and popular with beachgoers and surfers. Victor Cabral, a city council member in San Clemente, said fire officials told him four homes have burned in nearby San Juan Capistrano.

Schools have been closed and activities canceled, and thousands were being asked to evacuate, he said. “The ﬁre is right up on the city,” he said. “It’s on the perimeter of our homes on the north end.” Officials have opened a community center with cots, food and water for those in need, he said. The Orange County Fire Authority said two evacuation shelters have been opened, one in each city, and asked those under evacua-

tion orders to “leave now.” A blaze in Malibu, a coastal town west of Los Angeles, prompted evacuation orders and warnings for a large swath of the Santa Monica Mountains. A large cloud of black smoke over the hilltops could be seen on nearby cameras and miles away. Winds from 20 mph to 35 mph were expected Friday, with gusts forecast to reach 50 mph up to 70 mph in some areas, the National Weather Service said. With humidity levels drop-

ping, “this will favor a critical fire weather threat,” the service said early Friday. More than 400 firefighters battled the Bryson Fire overnight, which was at 250 acres on Friday morning. It had threatened a Los Angeles County juvenile detention and rehabilitation facility, which was evacuated Thursday night. The most critical fire weather will be seen through Friday afternoon, when the strongest and longest-lasting winds are expected, said Kevin McGowan, director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management. Weather conditions that increase the fire risk were expected to last through Saturday night. “Strong winds and very dry conditions will continue to cause fire starts to spread rapidly, so we’re urging everyone to remain vigilant,” he said. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who faced criticism for her city’s response to deadly fires in 2025, directed the fire department to deploy personnel and equipment ahead of the winds. The fire department also requested assistance from the state’s office of emergency services. “It’s a pretty widespread

event of elevated fire weather, so the whole SoCal region should really be on alert,” said Rose Schoenfeld, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. The Santa Anas could reach 20 to 40 mph, with gusts from 50 to 70 mph, in the San Gabriel mountains in Los Angeles County and the Santa Susana mountains, which are mostly in Ventura County, Schoenfeld said. Elevated, though brief, critical fire weather conditions were also forecast for portions of the Santa Lucia mountains in San Luis Obispo County. In Orange County, a winddriven fire that started in the hills of the coastal city of San Clemente quickly grew to 200 acres, prompting the evacuations in San Clemente and in neighboring San Juan Capistrano, where multiple homes were ablaze. Firefighters on Friday worked to contain two other fires that had sparked Thursday afternoon and triggered evacuation orders in the city of Azusa, north of LA, and Camp Pendleton, near San Diego. More than 175,000 customers in northern, central and southern California were without electricity as of Friday, according to poweroutage.com.

Brazil says Amazon deforestation fell to lowest level since 1988 BY GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA Associated Press

SAO PAULO — Brazil’s government announced Friday that annual deforestation in the Amazon fell to its lowest level since records began in 1988. Ofﬁcial satellite data showed the rainforest lost 1,300 square miles from August 2025 through July 2026, the period used to calculate the annual rate. The data released Friday

underscore the success of Brazil’s renewed efforts under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to curb Amazon deforestation, reversing a surge under his predecessor, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. During Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency, from 2019 to 2022, Amazon deforestation surged by about 60%, with more than 17,400 square miles cleared, according to ofﬁcial data. Under Lula, de-

forestation has fallen 71% since 2023, the government said. One of Lula’s first moves after taking office in January 2023 for a third, nonconsecutive term was to revive the Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon, known by its Portuguese acronym, PPCDAm. Launched in 2004 during his first administration, the plan had been shelved under Bol-

sonaro. Lula brought back the environmental officials who developed the blueprint two decades earlier, appointing environmental champion Marina Silva — who led the Environment Ministry until she resigned in April to run for Congress — and João Paulo Capobianco, her former deputy and the current minister, to help carry it out. The plan has four pillars:

strengthening monitoring and enforcement; promoting a sustainable economy; managing protected areas and determining how undesignated public forests should be used; and using regulations and financial incentives to curb deforestation. Measures included restoring sanctions for illegal forest clearing detected by satellites, a practice seen as the most effective tool to

curb deforestation that was halted under Bolsonaro. The government also proposed barring properties with illegal deforestation from receiving bank loans and allocated more funding to priority Amazon municipalities that demonstrated reductions in forest loss. It also funded efforts to ﬁght environmental crime and develop subsidized credit for sustainable businesses in the Amazon.

METRO

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

S at u r d ay, O c t O b e r 17, 2026

1bN

Fire danger warning issued As cool front moves in, so does wind

BY DEAN BOUDREAUX Staff writer

PhOTOS BY ROBIN mAY

Kristin Earles, candidate for district attorney, from left, Judge Susan Theall, a candidate for reelection for Family Court judge, Art LeBreton, a candidate for Youngsville chief of police, and Dyan Schnaars, a candidate for Family Court judge, speak at the candidates’ forum in Youngsville on Thursday.

Youngsville district candidates speak at forum Roundtable shaped by controversy, corruption, custody disputes

BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer

Candidates for Youngsville police chief, 15th Judicial District Court family court judge and district attorney outlined their priorities at a forum hosted Thursday by the Concerned Citizens of Youngsville. Four candidates attended: Art LeBreton, who is challenging incumbent Yo u n g s H H H H H H ville Police Chief Jean-Paul Broussard; Susan Theall and Dyan Schnaars, who are running for a family court judgeship; and Kristian Earles, who is challenging incumbent District Attorney Don Landry. Broussard, who is seeking a second term, and Landry, who is seeking a third term, said prior engagements prevented them from attending. John Trahan did not respond to the invitation. LeBreton, a 35-year law enforcement veteran who last served as chief deputy in the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce in 2018, is challenging incumbent Police Chief JeanPaul Broussard amid scrutiny of the department’s disciplinary practices.

After an extended stretch of above-normal temperatures, cooler fall weather is arriving in Acadiana this weekend. But gusty winds, low humidity and dry vegetation are raising concerns about fire danger. The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for much of Acadiana from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday as a dry cold front brings cooler temperatures and gusty north winds to the region. The warning covers Lafayette, St. Martin, Acadia, Vermilion, Iberia, St. Mary, St. Landry, Evangeline and Jefferson Davis parishes. North winds are expected to reach 15 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 35 mph. Humidity could fall as low as 31%, and temperatures are expected to reach about 73 degrees. “Any fire that develops will catch and spread quickly,” the warning said. Outdoor burning is not recommended. The fire danger comes as drought conditions persist across Louisiana. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor’s Oct. 13 report, about 71% of the state was experiencing moderate to extreme drought, including 51.8% classified as severe drought and 4.8% as

ä See WARNING, page 2B

St. Martin man charged in fatal crash

ELECTION

13-year-old girl was killed on I-10

BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer

Concerned Citizens of Youngsville held a candidates’ forum for City Court judge and district attorney on Thursday. In January, the Youngsville Municipal Police Civil Service Board unanimously overturned Broussard’s demotion of Capt. John Davison, ruling that the action was retaliatory and not taken in good faith. Davison had been suspended for 90 days and demoted to patrol ofﬁcer. LeBreton criticized Brous-

sard’s leadership at Thursday’s forum. “I’m not satisﬁed with the direction the police department is going,” LeBreton said. “I entered this race to afford the citizens another choice.” If elected, LeBreton said he would prioritize updating the department’s records system to improve data collection as

Youngsville grows. He said better data would help the department determine where to deploy resources and whether its strategies are working. “It’s about having a targeted deployment of your resources,” LeBreton said. “The strategies we implement should

ä See FORUM, page 2B

A 22-year-old driver has been arrested on a vehicular homicide charge after toxicology results indicated he was impaired in a September crash on Interstate 10 in St. Martin Parish that killed a 13-year-old girl, Louisiana State Police said. Ezekiel Clawson was arrested Wednesday and booked into the St. Martin Parish Jail on a warrant obtained by State Police Troop I through 16th Judicial District Court. Clawson faces charges of vehicular homicide, vehicular negligent

ä See CRASH, page 2B

South Regional Library gets $2.5M makeover

release from LCG. “The upgrades and renovations to Upgrades to roof, Construction began in Novem- our community spaces are one exam2025 and included replacing the ple of our ongoing commitment to republic spaces included ber building’s original roof and installing invest in the parish’s infrastructure,” new air conditioning units, four air said Danny Gillane, Lafayette Public in renovations handlers, eight condenser units and Library director.

BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer

Lafayette Consolidated Government has completed $2.5 million in renovations at the South Regional Library, including a new roof, upgraded heating and air conditioning systems and improvements to public spaces. The 37,600-square-foot library, at 6101 Johnston St., opened 18 years ago, when the area was considered the outskirts of Lafayette. It now sits in a high-trafﬁc area at the intersection of Johnston Street and South City Parkway. The branch welcomes more than 35,000 visitors a month, with an additional 4,000 during the summer reading program, according to a news

three fresh-air units. Renovations included new carpet and bookcases in the children’s area, improvements to the storytime room and additional storage for library programs. The teen area received new carpet and lighting, and eight study rooms were updated with new carpet, paint, tables and ergonomic seating. The rooms can be reserved for meetings, studying or other quiet activities. The project also replaced existing lights with more energy-efficient LED lighting throughout the building, including outdoor ﬁxtures and lights in public and reading areas. Public restrooms received new ﬂooring, countertops, mirrors and hand dryers.

“These are not only public buildings — they are safe, welcoming spaces where knowledge can be gained, technology can be utilized and new ideas can be explored,” he said. “It is an opportunity for gathering, sharing wisdom and building community.” In addition to books and videos, the library offers programs and activities ranging from chess and mahjong to Lego activities and K-Pop Kommunity meetups. The library also offers drive-thru service. For information about programs, services and hours, visit lafayettepubliclibrary.org/locations/south.

Email Kristin Askelson at kaskelson@theadvocate.com.

Recent renovations to Lafayette’s South Regional Library were completed, including new carpet and bookcases in the children’s area, improvements to the storytime room and additional storage for library programs. PROvIDED PhOTO

2B ● Saturday, October 17, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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Davis, Letlow hold differing views on Iran war Senate race is heating up

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Jamie Davis, a farmer who is the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, told 300 people at a Veterans for Davis rally Thursday night that President Donald Trump started the Iran war “without a plan.” Davis also criticized his Republican opponent in the Senate race, U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, for voting against congressional resolutions to end the war, at an event held before an enthusiastic crowd at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. Davis made his remarks only days before the early voting period begins on Tuesday, in advance of the Nov. 3 election. In a low-proﬁle campaign without ﬁreworks so far, Davis painted a clear contrast with Letlow, who has Trump’s strong backing. In a recent interview, Letlow was asked whether Trump had

erred in attacking Iran. “I don’t have the intelligence that the president has,” Letlow replied. “I trust that he was acting on behalf Davis of America.” Her comments tracked with what she said in May while speaking before a business group in St. Tammany Parish. “If American lives were not at risk, he would not have taken the action that he did,” she told the North Shore Business Council. “It was bold and decisive.” At Thursday night’s event, former Gov. John Bel Edwards, a West Point grad who spent eight years in the Army, warmed up the crowd for Davis by describing Letlow as a “rubber stamp” for Trump in the House. Speaking as if he were Letlow talking to Trump, Edwards said, “You want to keep ﬁghting in Iran? I’ll support that, even though you really can’t tell us why you did it to begin with, what you hope to

accomplish, what your strategy is to win, when it will end.” Following Edwards on the stage, Davis told the crowd that evLetlow eryone is paying the price for the Iran war in the form of more costly groceries and fuel. “Multiple times, the House of Representatives cleared a resolution to end the war, with votes of support from Republicans and Democrats,” Davis said. “My opponent voted for continuing the war each time. And let me be clear: My ﬁght is not with the troops. It never will be. They kept their oath. My ﬁght is with those who started a war without a plan.” Davis didn’t name Trump, but the crowd’s boisterous response made it clear that it wasn’t necessary. Letlow, in her recent interview, said constituents “seem to understand that we can’t allow Iran to have nuclear weapons or the

to with the sailors sick and worn ELECTION capability make nucle- down,” Davis said. “No hot water. H

ar weapons. We all don’t want to see this drag on for years and years. We’d like to see it come to a conclusion pretty shortly.” But Davis, in a separate interview, noted that Trump said last year he had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear bomb making facilities and that he had decimated Iran’s military in the open days of the war this year. “So if they have been decimated, why are we still ﬁghting?” Davis asked. “If there’s no chance of them having a weapon of mass destruction, why are we still ﬁghting? If everything he’s going to do has been accomplished, why are we still over there?” At the World War II Museum, Davis criticized the Trump administration for keeping the Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Middle East for so long. “We watched a carrier come home after nearly a year at sea,

LSU, Ogden partner on ‘Prosperity Institute’ WARNING Continued from page 1B Business school initiative to promote capitalism

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

LSU will launch a new research and educational initiative in the business school focused on teaching young people about capitalism, an effort led by Louisiana developer and major university donor Roger Ogden. “In the most recent polling, it is really, truly, shocking,” Ogden said at a board meeting Friday. “Sixtynine percent of people under the age of 39 think socialism is OK. What’s led to that? It’s a lack of education.” At the meeting, the Board of Supervisors approved the request to establish the LSU Prosperity Institute, which will be housed in the E.J. Ourso College of Business and study the “institutions, policies, and economic systems that contribute to economic growth, innovation, op-

FORUM

Continued from page 1B be based on the data we receive, because that’s how we measure whether the strategies are actually having a positive effect.” LeBreton also discussed how he would address concerns about electric bicycles in Youngsville, saying education should come before enforcement. “I think it requires education, and then it requires enforcement when people continue to blatantly break the law,” he said. He also said he has considered asking the City Council to establish a registration requirement for e-bikes similar to the one for golf carts.

Candidates differ Theall, who currently serves as family court judge, and challenger Dyan Schnaars discussed how children’s perspectives should be considered in custody disputes. Schnaars, who has operated a law practice in River

portunity, and improved quality of life,” the resolution said. LSU Chancellor Jim Dalton said Ogden made a “major gift” to start the institute, although the dollar amount was not disclosed. Business school dean Russell Crook said the new institute will conduct research, teach, offer study abroad opportunities and operate a fellows program. “This was really inspired by Mr. Ogden’s vision, and we’re trying to carry this forward,” Crook said. “We recognize that there’s an opportunity here to share many of the important things that are going on, and we feel like maybe there’s been a little bit of a misunderstanding, so our goal is to bring an evidencebased approach.” The institute could potentially partner with Louisiana Economic Development, the Board of Regents and banking and real estate industries, according to the resolution. Academic centers focused on capitalism have popped up at universities in the past couple decades, with institutes dedicated to the study and advancement of free markets at

Ranch for 14 years, said she would prioritize understanding children’s preferences and experiences. “I am going to want to know what the child’s preference is and what their experience is,” Schnaars said. Theall, who has more than four decades of legal experience, said child psychologists advise keeping children out of conﬂicts between their parents. Rather than having children testify, she said, professional psychologists interview them and can provide testimony in court. Theall said her approach is consistent with practices used by other family courts across Louisiana. Schnaars also proposed expanding visitation centers and counseling cooperatives to help the court manage cases more efﬁciently. “Many parents are required to be supervised during visitations. Visitation centers will make that easier to facilitate,” Schnaars said. “The co-ops will help bring counselors into the loop with what the court needs as far as evaluations are concerned.”

Clemson University, the University of Kentucky and Oklahoma State University, for example. Ogden said the initiative is needed at LSU because his generation has done a “lousy job” passing down the “secret sauce” to national prosperity — what he identiﬁed as labor, capital and free markets. Capitalism, “when compared to other major economic systems throughout history, no matter whatever nation in the world has adopted them, by far creates the greatest prosperity for the greatest number all through the socioeconomic level,” Ogden said. “I don’t believe that a lot of the younger generation, and really a lot of our media and journalists, understand that.” Ogden, a real estate developer, has previously served as chair of the LSU Board of Supervisors. He is known for co-founding and leading Stirling Properties for 20 years, managing a $200 million portfolio of shopping centers, according to his biography on the Greater New Orleans Foundation website. He also founded the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans.

Prosecution practices The federal bribery scandal involving the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office’s pretrial intervention program has become a central issue in the race between incumbent Don Landry and challenger Kristian Earles. The program offered eligible defendants an alternative to criminal prosecution. But a federal investigation found that former assistant district attorney Gary Haynes, who oversaw the program, directed defendants to take paid classes through private vendors in exchange for kickbacks. Haynes was convicted of bribery, conspiracy to commit money laundering and obstruction of justice in September 2025. He was sentenced to seven years in federal prison in December 2025. Other participants in the scheme also received prison sentences. Landry has not been charged in connection with the scheme, but Earles has made the scandal a central part of his campaign, arguing that it undermined pub-

extreme drought. Another 19% was classified as abnormally dry. About 3.1 million Louisiana residents live in areas experiencing drought, according to the monitor. Severe drought can lower water levels in creeks and bayous, dry out soil and stress trees and other vegetation. Combined with low humidity and gusty winds, those conditions increase the potential for fires to ignite and spread quickly. Doug Cramer, a warning coordination meteorologist at the weather service’s Lake Charles office, urged people across south and central Louisiana to avoid burning because of the dry vegetation, low humidity and wind. “These types of fronts are bringing in low relative humidity and gusty winds, and those are the two elements that create fire danger,” Cramer said. The front was moving across central Louisiana toward Acadiana Friday morning and was expected to pass through the

lic trust in the criminal justice system. “As a judge, it really offended me because we have to have trust in the criminal justice system,” Earles said. Earles said he does not oppose the pretrial intervention program itself, but believes it must be administered fairly. “I don’t have a problem with pretrial diversion, so

CRASH

Continued from page 1B injuring, reckless operation of a vehicle, ﬁrst-degree vehicular negligent injuring, three counts of violating child passenger restraint requirements, no seat belt and first-offense driving while intoxicated with child endangerment. The crash happened shortly after 5:30 p.m. Sept. 12 on westbound I-10 near the Butte La Rose exit. According to a preliminary investigation, a 2013 Hyundai Elantra driven by Clawson was traveling in the left lane when it moved into the right lane, struck

Clawson after the crash. The results indicated he was impaired at the time, leading investigators to obtain the arrest warrant. The crash remains under investigation, police said.

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region later in the day. Red ﬂag conditions were also expected in parts of central and southwest Louisiana Friday afternoon and evening, before winds eased and humidity recovered overnight. North winds could reach 15 to 25 mph Friday afternoon and evening, with gusts of 25 to 30 mph, Cramer said. “It’s going to be blustery Friday evening across Acadiana, most likely impacting some football games and things like that or any other outdoor activities,” he said. The front is expected to bring no rain or thunderstorms, Cramer said. Lafayette is forecast to drop to about 54 degrees Friday night, with a high near 72 Saturday. Overnight temperatures could fall to 49 or 50 degrees Saturday night, before highs reach the mid-70s Sunday. Cramer said the region is experiencing widespread drought and that red flag warnings are unusual in south Louisiana. Some years pass without a single warning, he said. “Any time that we issue a red ﬂag warning, it is a bit unusual,” he said.

long as it’s applied equally and fairly to everyone,” he said. Earles also criticized the DA’s office for what he described as delays in prosecuting offenders and its handling of cases involving public officials. He said the office should use grand juries to issue indictments against elected officials and other public servants.

Public Notices

Announcements A Transcraft Flatbed Trailer was picked up by Cliffs Towing and is being stored at the storage location of 206 Diesel Dr, Scott, LA 70583. If all current charges are not paid and vehicle claimed by owner by October 30, 2026, a Permit to sell or Permit to Dismantle may be obtained. 203389-Oct 10 & 17, 2t $138.88

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Email Kristin Askelson at kaskelson@theadvocate. com.

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Email Tyler Bridges at tbridges@theadvocate.com.

“What we have right now is no real process, where offenders linger for six months, maybe a year, before they end up being indicted on a charge,” Earles said. Election Day is Nov. 3. Early voting is Oct. 20-27, except Sunday, Oct. 25. Voters can check their registration and polling locations at GeauxVote.com.

.theacadianaadvocate.com

Garage Sales a concrete barrier and hit the rear of a 2020 Ram ProMaster. Both vehicles then struck concrete barriers. A 13-year-old passenger in the Hyundai, who was not wearing a seat belt, was critically injured and taken to a hospital. She died Sept. 15. The driver and three other passengers in the Hyundai also were not restrained and were taken to a hospital for treatment. An infant passenger was in a child safety seat, but the seat was not properly secured to the vehicle, police said. The driver of the Ram, who was wearing a seat belt, was not injured. State Police collected a toxicology sample from

Bad food. Short on soap.” He continued: “Five months ago, my opponent said she was happy that the President had negotiated an end to the war and things would become affordable again. My opponent hasn’t been straight with Louisianans about the cost of this war.” Before he began his prepared speech, Davis called Gary Crockett onto the stage, which was lined with veterans. Davis noted that Crockett was a veteran — he spent 24 years in the Navy — and had been his opponent in the Democratic primary. Also standing beside Davis was Nick Albares, another opponent in the Democratic primary, who is now his policy adviser. Letlow has not secured the support of either of her Republican primary opponents, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy or state Treasurer John Fleming.

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Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

PUBLIC NOTICE --MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING HELD AT SCOTT CITY HALL WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2026, AT 6:00 PM The City Council met in session on regular Wednesday, October 7, 2026. Mayor and all coun‐ cil members were pre‐ sent. Councilman Domingue the prayer and led Pledge of Allegiance.

Public Notices Meet/Hear/Min

y cilman Roy, the motion carried unanimously.

p the Scott Municipal Code Chapter 16 Fire Protec‐ tion. No questions or from the comments members of the public. Seconded by Councilman Montoucet, motion car‐ ried unanimously.

Mr. Mark Savoy of Groom’s Engineering and Mr. Mason Macaluso of Fenstermaker & Associ‐ ates each gave a brief update on ongoing pro‐ jects. Mayor Richard an‐ nounced numerous up‐ coming events that are all listed on our city web‐ site and social media pages. Candidate for Family Court judge 15th JDC, Di‐ vision M, Ms. Dyan Schnaars asked for sup‐ port in the upcoming No‐ vember 3rd,2026 election.

Councilman Goodwin moved to approve the minutes of the Septem‐ ber 3, 2026, meeting as written. Seconded by Domingue, Councilman the motion was approved unanimously.

Councilman Goodwin motioned to adopt Ordi‐ nance 2026-12, An Ordi‐ amending the nance Scott Municipal Code to amend Chapter 14 Article II. -Noise. Motion was seconded by Councilman Domingue, motion car‐ ried unanimously.

Councilman Montoucet moved to accept the Au‐ gust 2026 ﬁnancial state‐ ment. Seconded by Coun‐ il h i

Councilman Roy mo‐ tioned to adopt Ordi‐ nance 2026-13, An Ordi‐ nance to amend/replace h i i l d

Councilman Montoucet motioned to amend the Police Department capi‐ tal outlay budget in the amount of $10,000 from LACE for ofﬁce furniture. Seconded by Councilman Moreau, motioned car‐ ried unanimously. There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 6:28pm. __________________ Jan-Scott Richard, Mayor __________________ Shelley M. Gautreau, City Clerk 204085 Oct. 17 1t $51.58

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Markets weighed down by an extended sell-off A broad sell-off in technology companies pulled stocks lower on Wall Street Friday, capping off the market’s worst week since late June. Slightly more than half of the stocks in the S&P 500 fell, but all but seven of the 75 stocks in the index’s tech sector closed lower. Among the biggest decliners were chip companies, reflecting mounting worries about how long the frenzy over the AI buildout will last. Micron Technology fell 5.6%, Advanced Micro Devices dropped 6%, Broadcom lost 4.5% and Intel gave up 5.8%. Among the other tech companies that finished in the red were Meta, which fell 3.7%, and Google parent Alphabet, which dropped 2.5%. Netflix’s stock fell 2.9% a day after the company announced that Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria will be replaced by Peter Rice. The news comes just days after Netflix said that it plans to lay off about 6% of its workforce, amounting to nearly 1,000 positions. Exxon rose 2.5% and Chevron added 2.6%. Alcoa rose 2.5% and The Travelers Cos. gained 1.5% after the companies reported quarterly results that topped Wall Street forecasts.

Trade group forecasts healthy holiday sales NEW YORK — Don’t count out U.S. shoppers when it comes to shelling out money for the winter holidays despite higher fuel prices and other financial pressures. The nation’s largest retail trade group said Thursday that it expects American consumers will collectively spend $1.01 trillion this November and December, which would be 4.2% more than during the same months last year. The increase reflects more than seasonal good cheer, according to economists. The National Retail Federation and other organizations that have issued holiday forecasts said they expected higher consumer prices to account for about half of the anticipated growth. Moreover, higher income shoppers will fuel a lot of the spending, retail experts say. “We all acknowledge households continue to navigate persistent inflation and uneven confidence about the economy,” National Retail Federation President and CEO Matthew Shay told reporters Thursday. “But throughout the year, consumers have repeatedly shown that holidays and spending on loved ones are priorities.” Retailers rang up $972 billion in holiday sales last year, which was 3.1% more than the year before that, the trade group said. The forecast, which was not adjusted for inflation, is in line with most other predictions so far. The outlooks illustrate an ongoing disconnect between the dismal consumer confidence that shows up in monthly surveys and Americans’ willingness to keep spending.

Tesla’s Roadster can thrust itself in the air CHICAGO — Tesla has unveiled its new Roadster sports car, which can thrust itself in the air, among other engineering bells and whistles. Elon Musk’s electric car company rolled out its second-generation Roadster at a Thursday event, showing off a set of cold gas thrusters and a “multimode” suction system that can fling the car in the air for short spurts and spin the vehicle midflight. “Turns out the future does have flying cars,” Musk, Tesla’s CEO, wrote on social media. That future could be a ways off, however. “I’m not sure every state is going to allow a driver in the middle of traffic to suddenly elevate himself and fly,” said David Vladeck, a Georgetown Law professor and former director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

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China moves to curb tech exports

national security as one of prohibited under the Chinese pro- with parameter counts exceeding Nation cites security cited the reasons. posal, along with AI agents that 2 trillion, but Friday’s proposal did proposal came as China and are designed to be used in highly not name speciﬁc models. risks, including with AI theThe Several chip design technoloU.S. made progress in dialogues sensitive environments such as

BY CHAN HO-HIM AP business writer

HONG KONG — China on Friday said it plans to restrict or ban exports of 40 technologies that span artiﬁcial intelligence, chips and solar power as its technology race with countries including the United States intensiﬁes. The Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Science and Technology jointly published a draft document with the proposed updates for China’s catalog of technologies subjected to export bans or restrictions. A spokesperson from the commerce ministry said in a statement that the move was “necessary” and

over AI safety and governance and on the setting up of a notiﬁcation mechanism between the two superpowers for AI incidents that could threaten national security. Twenty-three AI technologies, from advanced large models to agents, are included on Friday’s list, according to the Chinese ministries. U.S.-led restrictions have curbed the export of some advanced technologies to China over the past years, with the country blocked from accessing the world’s most cutting-edge AI chips and the advanced chipmaking machines that make them. Exports of core technologies of AI large models trained using sensitive national data would be

national defense and critical information infrastructure. “The Chinese government is implementing such necessary measures with the aims of reinforcing the security bottom line, preventing misuse and abuse, and ensuring that AI remains under human control,” the commerce ministry’s statement said. Meanwhile, exports of AI models with parameter counts of 2 trillion or above, or with certain worldleading capabilities, could be restricted. An AI model’s parameter count is a key metric that reﬂects its learning capacity. Chinese AI models including Moonshot’s Kimi K3 and Alibaba’s Qwen 3.8-Max are among those

gies, including for some AI processing chips and memory chips, are also included in the proposed export restrictions. The move “can be seen as a response to Western countries posting sovereignty requirements on AI, robotics, telecommunications, and other key technologies,” said Lian Jye Su, a chief analyst at technology research and advisory group Omdia. The aim would be to better regulate access to the Chinese technologies, he believes. The U.S. Commerce Department in June had asked Anthropic to bar foreign nationals from using some of its most powerful AI models, citing national security concerns. The restrictions were later lifted.

Warsh says price stability is key but shies away from signals about rates Fed chair says surge in AI is ‘consequential change’

BY ELAINE KURTENBACH AP business writer

BANGKOK — Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh said Friday he won’t prejudge what the U.S. central bank will do about interest rates at its upcoming meetings in October and December. The Fed increased its key interest rate by a quarter-point to about 3.9% in September, its first increase in three years, and stubbornly elevated U.S. inflation will likely lead it to hike that rate again in coming months to slow spending and help cool price pressures. But Warsh offered no fresh signals during a “fireside chat” with International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva at a meeting of financial leaders in Bangkok. “At the Federal Reserve, we made very clear that we would deliver price stability, and we removed a dose of accommodation about a month ago,” Warsh said. “I don’t prejudge meetings. I don’t believe in saying now what I might do at the meetings that we have in the balance of this year.” The Fed’s September rate hike defied U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated calls for the Fed to cut rates. The president criticized the Fed’s rate-setting committee, though he still expressed support for Warsh, whom he appointed earlier this year. The global surge in prices is a key concern of central bankers and financial leaders meeting in Bangkok. According to minutes released from the most recent meeting, most Fed officials expect that another interest rate increase will likely be needed this year. That would raise borrowing costs for mortgages, car loans, and credit cards over time. Warsh said the surge in investment driven

ASSOCIATED PRESS PhOTO BY DhITARAhT DhANARAhTSOmBAT

International monetary Fund managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, left, and U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh greet after speaking at the annual meetings of the International monetary Fund and the World Bank Group in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday. by the craze for artificial intelligence is one of the factors behind higher inflation and the Fed’s task force on issues related to AI will meet Nov. 16. “I’d say the advent of this new technology is probably the most consequential change to the U.S. and the global economy in my lifetime to this point,” he said. Unlike military conflict and other shocks that are driving prices higher, Warsh said he believes AI will bring “huge benefit” to the world economy in time. For Fed economists who struggle to foresee

the future using data that lags behind today’s realities, AI could prove a vital tool, he said. “We torture data with old fashioned models to try to find out what’s underlying inflation trends. Not so long from now, it won’t be torture. We will have access at the fingertips of central banks to all the information in the world, and we’ll be able to use new analytical tools to distill that data,” he said. AP economics writer Christopher Rugaber in Washington and AP journalist Haruka Nuga in Bangkok contributed to this story.

IMF-World Bank meetings focus on risks, potential beneﬁts of AI ‘Formula 1 at night without brakes’ BY ELAINE KURTENBACH

AP business writer

BANGKOK — Guardrails are urgently needed to contain potential risks from the boom in artiﬁcial intelligence, the head of the International Monetary Fund said Friday, likening the technology to a Formula 1 race car that might go off the track and run people over. “We are racing, and the question is how do we put barriers? So if a car was to ﬂy out it doesn’t kill people,” IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said. “I have high respect for the industry. I think what you’re doing is incredibly important for humanity. You may give us the biggest gift, but if the car runs over people, that gift may not be so worthwhile,” she said while speaking on a panel on the impact of AI on the world economy along with experts including Anthropic co-founder and head of policy Jack Clark. Clark is among technology industry leaders pushing for faster action on regulating AI. In a blog post last month, the rival to Open-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PhOTO BY SAKChAI LALIT

Protesters march to a meeting venue during a demonstration against the International monetary Fund and the World Bank Group in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday. AI proposed that the world’s top artificial intelligence companies come up with a coordinated way to pause development of advanced AI systems, warning the technology is improving so quickly there’s a risk humans would lose control. “I think it’s worse than you describe. I think it’s Formula 1 at night without maybe brakes in the cars,” Clark said. “And it’s remark-

able to me that the toys I buy for my children are regulated more than the literal superintelligence I work on at my day job.” He added that the effort to build policy frameworks to regulate AI is underway. About 10% of jobs might be transformed or newly created, while work involving repetitive tasks will be gone, Georgieva said.

The third category will be service sector jobs generated by people who benefit from the investment boom. “The net impact is positive,” she said, though she added that “services don’t pay a lot.” “So you get young people who normally would have gone into professional routine jobs now serving coffee in Starbucks. And that is not what I think young people in the world aspire for,” she said. Tiff Macklem, the governor of the Bank of Canada, compared that to the effects on employment from more open trade, which has generated great global wealth and raised millions out of poverty. But many millions also lost their livelihoods as manufacturers moved jobs to China and other developing countries. He said “in aggregate there is an overall benefit,” but acknowledged that in both trade and technology “there will be winners and losers.” “You have to find a way to help the losers,” Macklem said. “Without a system to help them cope with the loss you get a backlash.” Dozens of people marched in Bangkok on Thursday and Friday in peaceful protests, seeking to draw attention to growing inequality and other frustrations.

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

ANOTHER VIEW

Looking under the hood of the latest polls

Polls are flooding election coverage. But buried beneath the latest publicized numbers are fascinating findings that rarely make headlines. As usual, we start with President Donald Trump. The latest Pew Research poll drew plenty of media attention by putting Trump’s job approval rating at just 30%. But an average of six other polls conducted around the same time (Sept. 28 to Oct. 5) showed his approval rating considerably higher at 39.7%. That’s still not good for Trump, but it’s not as dismal as Pew’s number. The lesson? Whether you’re a Democrat or Ron Republican, don’t jump too quick for joy — or Faucheux panic — over a single national poll showing your side doing surprisingly well or badly. Look at the polling averages and follow the trends. They tell a fuller story. Diving deeper: n More on Trump: Polling from the Economist/YouGov shows that 26% of voters who cast ballots for Trump in 2024 now think worse of him. Whether and how much of this 26% either doesn’t vote, or votes for Democrats, will decide the close races. The poll also finds that most Republicans now say they preferred Trump’s positions as a candidate over his current positions as president, 54% to 30% margin. New surveys, additionally, show that in four key states that Trump carried for president all three times — Texas, Ohio, Iowa and North Carolina — his approval ratings have fallen to between 41% and 44%. It’s hard to grab any coattails when the numbers are that low. n It’s the economy, again: Among independents, the voters who often swing close elections, only 16% rate the economy as excellent or good while 80% say it’s fair or poor. Furthermore, 64% of independents think it’s getting worse, compared to just 11% who think it’s getting better. (Economist poll) n A pox on both their houses: Big majorities dislike both parties; 58% of voters view the Democratic Party unfavorably, while 61% say the same about the Republican Party. (Pew poll) n Back to basics: After “inflation/affordability” (45%), the issue ranking second in importance to voters personally is “restoring basic American values of merit and competence” (12%). That’s followed by crime (9%), immigration (8%), climate change (5%), abortion (5%), the Iran war (4%), tariffs (3%) and guns (2%). (Harvard/Harris poll) n Death penalty: 52% support it, while 31% oppose it. For the method used: 47% favor lethal injection, 34% select firing squads, 21% pick electrocution and 17% favor hanging. Firing squads are preferred by 47% of Republicans, 37% of independents and 17% of Democrats. Only 18% of all adults polled favor live public executions. (Economist poll) n Slow down: A whopping 71% of U.S. adults think artificial intelligence is advancing too quickly. Women (76%), liberals (84%) and Democrats (82%) are especially alarmed. Among those most likely to vote in November, 44% trust Democrats to handle AI, compared with 35% who trust Republicans. (Economist poll) n A rose by any other name: Only 13% think renaming “artificial intelligence” as “super intelligence” is a good idea. (Economist poll) n Say what? Donald Trump’s unfavorable rating, 53%, is higher than the unfavorable rating of the Democratic Socialists of America, 44%. (Harvard/Harris poll) n Tuckered out: Pundit Tucker Carlson’s unfavorable rating among U.S. voters, at 40%, is now higher than the negative ratings of two world leaders he frequently attacks: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with a 38% unfavorable rating, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with a 31% unfavorable rating. (Harvard/Harris poll) n Democrats for 2028: Kamala Harris continues to lead her party’s presidential field with 30%, followed by Gavin Newsom (15%), Pete Buttigieg (9%), Jon Ossoff (8%), Mark Kelly (5%), Josh Shapiro (5%) and Andy Beshear (3%). (Financial Times poll) n Republicans for 2028: JD Vance leads the GOP presidential field with 38%, followed by Marco Rubio (24%), Ron DeSantis (9%), Donald Trump Jr. (7%) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (4%). (Financial Times poll) n Running again: Two former presidential candidates are running for governor this year. Democrat Amy Klobuchar leads by nine points in two recent Minnesota polls. In Ohio, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is in a tough battle; two polls show him slightly ahead, but other surveys have his Democratic opponent leading by bigger margins. Ron Faucheux is a nonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer based in Louisiana.

YOUR VIEWS

The better individuals do, the better off we all are

To Dems, no one’s above the law except illegal immigrants Among people having a discussion (argument?) about President Donald Trump, a favorite thing for Democrats to say is, “No one is above the law.” Of course, they are referencing the lawfare waged against Trump in the past, his past convictions, etc. They intend to continue it when they get back into power in D.C. — they have said so repeatedly. Please see the front-page article Oct. 13, “Senate candidates Davis, Letlow both support closed border.” Jamie Davis said, “If we have a person who is illegal and they have been living a model life, they should be given an opportunity. Did they break the law? Yes, they did. If you come to this country illegally, you broke the law. But I want America and Louisiana to remember one thing: People who look like me and look like the people we deem Caucasians, none of us was here.” So, using Davis’ logic, some people should be above the law.

In his guest column in the newspaper, David Thomas warns that the Democratic Party is moving toward socialism (“Why today’s socialist movement is woefully misguided,” Oct. 9). While democratic socialists have gained some inﬂuence, most elected Democrats do not embrace their agenda. Thomas also seems to confuse socialism with government programs that beneﬁt society. Would he object to public education, interstate highways, Social Security or Medicare simply because government is involved? Our own history tells us that capitalism hasn’t always provided equal opportunity. Native Americans, enslaved Africans, victims of Jim Crow, Japanese Americans during World War II and generations of immigrants have faced barriers that kept them from participating fully in our economy. And isn’t it ironic that the Trump administration has taken ownership interests in private companies and sought control over natural resources in other countries? Some of these actions could just as easily be characterized as socialist. I don’t believe anyone is entitled to equal economic results. But everyone should have a fair chance to reach their potential. Good schools, job training, food assistance and efforts to eliminate discrimination aren’t simply handouts. They help people become productive, independent members of society. When we fail to give people that chance, we don’t just hurt those individuals. We lose their talents, their productivity and everything they might have contributed to our economy. The better individuals do, the better off we all are.

His argument centers on being compassionate and the fact that Native Americans were defeated by newcomers. What a crock of bull. Throughout human history, newcomers to any territory have defeated the people currently living there and taken over the land and the society. So, which is it? “No one” is above the law or “some people” are above the law? If it were a Democratic president rounding up and deporting illegal immigrants, I suspect that most Democrats would be in favor of it. Most of us, including progressives, have doors with locks on our houses so we can control who enters our home and protect our property. Today’s Democratic Party, which has been taken over by communists (socialists? Hah!) have not been offering their homes to illegal immigrants, have they? Where is their compassion?

JIM STEPHENS Slidell

Self-deportation process a horror show The letter by Joseph Molyneux regarding detainees and selfdeportation was rife with misinformation (if not just lies). I know because I recently helped a friend self-deport. It was a horror show from start to finish. Let’s start with the fact that my friend (Colombian) was in the United States legally with a duly filed asylum application, a work permit, a job, a Social Security number and a date set for a hearing. He had no criminal record or any missed immigration hearings. Due process would never have allowed him to be arrested in the first place. Once arrested, due process would have afforded him the ability to get a bond (which I was willing to pay for). That was denied for no reason. Speaking of due process, it is a meaningless term if the person is taken off to a jail hundreds of miles from the place of arrest, family and attorneys. It is worse

than meaningless; it is a cruel hoax which your author and the criminal in the White House get to espouse. The reality is being snatched off the street (like my friend) and trucked off to a remote jail with no access to your phone, your computer or your family, except for a brief phone call. You don’t get to collect your computer, etc., or say goodbye to your wife and child (my friend’s situation), get your clothes or pay critical bills. You don’t even get sent to your home city in the country you are sent to. Every step appears to be intended to be as vicious as possible. My friend was just dumped at an airport halfway across the country from where his family lived. My friend who “self deported” was held for weeks, as are most people in this sick “self-deportation” process.

JOHN LAFARGUE New Orleans

MARK GONZALEZ New Orleans

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GAMEDAY

m I S S I S S I P P I S T A T E A T L S U • 11 A . m . S A T U R D A Y • E S P N

THINKING Kiffin gave Tiger Stadium’s visiting locker room a makeover. There’s a science behind his colorful idea. BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

A brush, two paint rollers and a plastic Sherwin-Williams bag sat in the middle of the floor. Non-adhesive masking paper protected the purple carpet from paint stains, and blue painter’s tape held the beige paper in place. The unmistakable scent of fresh paint filled the air. The visiting locker room at Tiger Stadium — just days before LSU’s matchup against Mississippi State on Saturday (11 a.m., ESPN) — was undergoing a Barbie-style makeover. Lane Kiffin was transforming these cramped quarters into a pink wonderland. The walls. The lockers. Everything but the bathroom, ceiling and floor was turning into Regina George’s Wednesday outfit in the movie “Mean Girls.” Pink. “I told you guys when I got here,” Kiffin said in August. “My job is not for other schools, other people, media or any of that. My job is for the people that hired me, what they want me to do and the players in this room.” ä See LSU, page 2C

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LSU GAMEDAY

BROADCAST INFORMATION Mississippi State at LSU 11 a.m. Saturday, Tiger Stadium TV: ESPN | Line: LSU by 16½ Radio: WDGL-Fm, 98.1; WWL-Am, 870; WWL-Fm, 105.3; KLWB-Fm, 103.7

TEAM SCHEDULES Mississippi State

LSU Date Opponent 9.5 Clemson 9.12 La. Tech 9.19 at Ole Miss 9.26 Texas A&M 10.3 McNeese 10.10 at Kentucky 10.17 Mississippi State 10.24 at Auburn 11.7 Alabama 11.14 Texas 11.21 at Tennessee 11.28 at Arkansas

Time/TV W, 51-10 W, 45-14 L, 32-24 W, 35-6 W, 63-14 L, 35-34 (OT) 11 a.m./ESPN 11 a.m./TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD

Date 9.5 9.12 9.19 9.26 10.3 10.17 10.24 10.31 11.7 11.14 11.21 11.27

Opponent UL-Monroe at Minnesota at South Carolina Missouri Alabama at LSU Oklahoma at Texas Vanderbilt Auburn Tennessee Tech at Ole Miss

Time/TV W, 62-13 W, 38-13 W, 41-34 W, 31-24 L, 56-23 11 a.m./ESPN 2:30 p.m./TBD TBD TBD TBD Noon/SECN+ 11 a.m./ABC

DEPTH CHARTS LSU

Mississippi State

OFFENSE

WIDE RECEIVER

6 WINSTON WATKINS 83 Corey Barber

WIDE RECEIVER

3 EUGENE WILSON 1 Jayce Brown

WIDE RECEIVER

4 JACKSON HARRIS 88 Malik Elzy

LEFT TACKLE

77 JORDAN SEATON 65 Sean Thompkins

LEFT GUARD

50 WILLIAM SATTERWHITE 67 Bo Bordelon

CENTER

61 BRAELIN MOORE 50 William Satterwhite

RIGHT GUARD

55 ALIOU BAH 70 Devin Harper

RIGHT TACKLE

75 WESTON DAVIS 69 Darrin Strey

TIGHT END

44 ZACH GRACE 14 Roman Mothershed

QUARTERBACK

10 SAM LEAVITT 11 Landen Clark

RUNNING BACK

13 DILIN JONES 22 Harlem Berry

5-10 5-11

OFFENSE

182 183

So. Fr.

5-11 5-11

190 175

Jr. Sr.

6-2 6-2

202 217

Jr. Jr.

6-5 6-5

307 308

Jr. Jr.

6-3 6-6

293 305

So. Sr.

6-2 6-3

301 293

Sr. So.

6-5 6-4

327 312

Sr. So.

6-6 6-7

315 314

So. Fr.

6-2 6-5

236 212

Jr. Jr.

6-2 6-0

216 195

Jr. So.

5-11 5-10

211 193

So. Sr.

6-4 6-5

244 285

Sr. Fr.

6-3 6-3 6-6

296 339 297

Jr. Fr. Jr.

6-1 6-3

279 286

Fr. Jr.

6-5 6-3

246 252

Jr. Jr.

6-0 6-3

227 228

Jr. Fr.

6-2 6-1

225 227

Sr. So.

6-3 6-3

208 218

Sr. So.

6-4 6-1

189 162

So. So.

5-11 6-0

164 188

Jr. Jr.

6-1 6-2

175 213

Fr. Sr.

6-0 6-1

206 175

Jr. Fr.

WIDE RECEIVER

3 ANTHONY EVANS 81 Zion Crumpton

WIDE RECEIVER

13 SANFRISCO MAGEE 0 Gracen Harris

WIDE RECEIVER

7 ZION RAGINS 2 Marquis Johnson

LEFT TACKLE

58 MILES MCVAY 54 Blake Steen

LEFT GUARD

78 DJ CHESTER 62 Jamari Freeman

CENTER

72 CANON BOONE 79 Dalton Toothman

RIGHT GUARD

50 LJ PRUDHOMME 77 TJ Lockhart

RIGHT TACKLE

51 J. SHUMPERT-PERKINS 71 Saquon Miles

TIGHT END

87 SAM WEST 88 Joeseph Skipworth

QUARTERBACK

1 KAMARIO TAYLOR 15 Billy Puckett

RUNNING BACK

24 FLUFF BOTHWELL 6 Kolin Wilson

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE TACKLE 90 STEPHIYLAN GREEN 88 Richard Anderson 96 Dominick McKinley

DEFENSIVE TACKLE 99 DEUCE GERALDS 47 Malik Blocton

DEFENSIVE END 29 JORDAN ROSS 97 Dylan Carpenter

LINEBACKER 42 DAVHON KEYS 35 Zach Weeks

LINEBACKER 6 TJ DOTTERY 24 Tylen Singleton

STAR 2 TY BENEFIELD 31 CJ Jimcoily

CORNERBACK 5 DJ PICKETT 21 Michael Turner

CORNERBACK 11 PJ WOODLAND 8 Ja’Keem Jackson

SAFETY 28 Jhase Thomas 13 Faheem Delane

SAFETY 0 TAMARCUS COOLEY 28 Jhase Thomas

80 SCOTT STARZYK

PUNTER

90 GRANT CHADWICK 99 Hayden Craig

LONG SNAPPER

43 SILAS HALL 39 Mack Mulhern

KICK RETURNER 22 Harlem Berry

PUNT RETURNER

3 EUGENE WILSON 1 Jayce Brown

Sr. Fr.

6-2 5-11

200 175

So. Fr.

5-8 5-11

170 190

So. Sr.

6-6 6-6

335 340

Jr. Sr.

6-6 6-4

315 310

Jr. Sr.

6-4 6-5

325 320

Sr. Fr.

6-3 6-5

330 350

Fr. So.

6-5 6-5

340 320

Jr. Jr.

6-4 6-5

250 225

Jr. Fr.

6-4 6-0

230 180

So. Fr.

5-10 5-9

230 190

Jr. Fr.

DEFENSIVE END 4 AMAREE WILLIAMS 13 LaKendrick James

6-4 6-2

240 250

Jr. Jr.

6-4 6-2

295 320

Jr. Sr.

6-4 6-5

315 310

Sr. So.

6-5 6-6

295 280

Sr. Sr.

6-2 6-3

230 240

So. Jr.

6-2 6-1

235 240

Jr. Fr.

5-11 6-1

200 185

Sr. Jr.

6-1 6-0

200 205

Jr. So.

6-4 6-1

205 190

Sr. So.

6-1 6-0

195 195

Sr. Sr.

6-0 5-11

220 195

Sr. Sr.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE 42 DJ REED 35 Kalvin Dinkins

DEFENSIVE TACKLE 9 JARAY BLEDSOE 14 Dealyn Evans

DEFENSIVE END 43 WILL WHITSON 97 Jayson Jenkins

LINEBACKER 11 TYLER LOCKHART 16 Derion Gullette

LINEBACKER 0 FATT FOREST 32 AJ Rice

NICKEL 15 MARCUS WILLIAMS 21 Dre Riley

CORNERBACK 20 JETT JEFFERSON 24 Quentin Taylor

CORNERBACK 1 KELLEY JONES 8 Kaylib Singleton

SAFETY 5 JARDIN GILBERT 28 Tanner Johnson

SAFETY 2 ISAAC SMITH 3 Kendel Dolby

SPECIAL TEAMS KICKER

190 180

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE END 1 PRINCEWILL UMANMIELEN 55 Lamar Brown

5-11 6-1

SPECIAL TEAMS

5-9

175

So.

6-5 6-1

208 211

Jr. Fr.

PUNTER

6-3 6-1

213 224

So. Fr.

LONG SNAPPER

5-10

193

Sr.

5-11 5-11

190 175

Jr. Sr.

KICKER 80 KYLE FERRIE 8 ETHAN PULLIAM 46 KYLE RUSHING

6-1

205

Sr.

6-1

190

Jr.

6-1

200

Fr.

5-11

190

Sr.

5-11

190

Sr.

KICK RETURNER 2 MARQUIS JOHNSON

PUNT RETURNER 3 ANTHONY EVANS

COACHES Lane Kiffin was 5-1 against mississippi State while coaching at Ole miss, losing 24-22 in 2022.

Jeff Lebby was 7-18 in his first two seasons coaching mississippi State, but he’s 4-1 in 2026.

STAFF PhOTOS BY mIChAEL JOhNSON

Painting of the visitors’ locker room wraps up on Wednesday in Tiger Stadium.

LSU

Continued from page 1C When Mississippi State walks into the visiting locker room Saturday, it’ll be the first team to experience the entire dressing room doused in pink. The walls were painted pink before LSU’s Week 4 matchup with Texas A&M, but this weekend the lockers themselves will sport the color for the first time. Kiffin isn’t the first coach to use the pink visiting locker-room trick. Iowa first came up with the idea in 1979, when then-coach Hayden Fry started a tradition that still stands today. Colorado State also colored its visiting locker room pink in the 1980s. Kiffin painted the visiting changing room in Oxford, Mississippi, that color after reading what Iowa had done and learning from a study on how colors could affect the mind “before a competitive match.” He didn’t specify which study he read, but the idea that color can affect a person’s mood, behavior or physiology isn’t far-fetched, at least according to Alaina Bruce, a licensed interior designer at Ritter Maher Architects. “You can look at the tone of color and the intensity of color,” Bruce said, “and then when you put that into a built environment, which is what I do every day, then you really can control an emotional response. Which is crazy to think about.” Blues and greens, for example, are frequently used in health care buildings because they create calming atmospheres that correlate with nature. Food brands often use red in their logos, since studies show the color triggers hunger. Bruce doesn’t use pink often in her line of work, though she said it’s become trendy lately to paint certain spaces pink, such as a reception room or bathroom. But since pink, depending on the shade, is typically a calming color, Bruce believes it could affect an athlete’s aggression before a game. “There’s a science to back it up that (softer colors) lower blood pressure, heart rate, all of these things,” Bruce said. “And when you put this nontraditional color in a locker room or (use it in) a nontraditional application, the goal is to create an uncomfortable setting for the opposing team.” At least one study suggests Bruce’s theory may be sound. In 1979, psychologist Alexander Schauss

Painting of the visitors’ locker room wraps up on Wednesday in Tiger Stadium. persuaded the U.S. Naval Correctional Center in Seattle to paint one of its seclusion rooms pink to test whether a specific shade of the color — Baker-Miller Pink, named after the officers who allowed Schauss to conduct the study — could reduce aggression in inmates. After a 156-day period in which inmates’ assault rates were tracked before and after they’d been placed in the pink cell, Schauss found that their aggression was reduced after spending time in the room. “Confinees only required a maximum of 15 minutes of exposure (in the pink room) to ensure that the potential for violent or aggressive behavior had been reduced,” Schauss wrote. “Further, it was surprisingly discovered that the effects of color linger on for at least another 30 minutes after removal from the cell.” Schauss’ findings gained popularity in Switzerland, where 30 jail cells, as of 2013, had been painted pink to reduce inmates’ aggression. The country also has four police drunk tanks that are colored pink, specifically in the town of Bienne.

STAFF PREDICTIONS JON BLAU

SCOTT RABALAIS

REED DARCEY

KOKI RILEY

LSU 34, MISSISSIPPI STATE 27 This score is highly variable depending on whether Kamario Taylor plays, or if he’s close to healthy. If he’s hobbled, Taylor should be easier to corral, and this is an offensive line the Tigers defensive line should post some wins against. mississippi State ranks 109th nationally in sacks allowed at 2.6 per game. If Princewill Umanmielen and friends can apply pressure after a quiet outing at Kentucky, LSU should bounce back. LSU 35, MISSISSIPPI STATE 21 Odd circumstances around this one. mississippi State is ranked higher than LSU in the polls, but LSU is a two-touchdown favorite. The Tigers are at home, too, but the kickoff is at 11 a.m. most folks seem to think Kamario Taylor won’t play, which is obviously a huge factor here, but it feels like whoever starts at quarterback for the Bulldogs will have trouble keeping pace with LSU. The State defense doesn’t scare anybody.

LSU 38, MISSISSIPPI STATE 16 I’m not showing this much confidence in the Tigers because of the visitors’ pink locker room. The pick is based on State quarterback Kamario Taylor being limited or unable to play because of his foot injury. I don’t think any backup QB the Bulldogs turn to will be exceptionally productive against a riled-up LSU defense. If Taylor plays, I’ll still take LSU but in a much closer game, something like 34-23.

LSU 38, MISSISSIPPI STATE 20 hard to feel good picking this game, which hinges so heavily on the health of two players. Without Kamario Taylor and Fluff Bothwell, the Bulldogs don’t stand much of a chance of winning in Tiger Stadium, even if it’s a day game. If both players are healthy, this score will be very wrong, but I’m skeptical that the off week was enough to heal Taylor’s turf toe. That injury is more serious than it sounds.

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“It really seems to work,” a police spokesperArkansas, just to play in a stadium without a visiting locker room. son told The Telegraph in 2013. “They quieted “We just sat out on the field like high school down and go to sleep much more quickly in teams,” he said. a pink room.” Florida coach Jon Sumrall also wouldn’t Whether LSU can put its foes to sleep in its complain about the visiting locker-room ameown pink room remains to be seen, but the football findings from this colorful experinities in the SEC. “As long as there’s a toilet in each one of ment across the country are promising. them,” Sumrall said, “we’ve got a chance.” LSU is 2-0 and outscoring opponents — Still, Golding appreciates Ole Miss’ pink Texas A&M and McNeese State — 98-20 since locker room and acknowledges the studies implementing the pink visiting locker room. suggesting that color affects mood. Ole Miss is 17-1 at home since the start of the “That was kind of like that when I got here,” 2024 season and has won 14 straight games Golding said regarding the locker room, “but in Oxford. Iowa’s home record since 1979 is we’ll take any advantage we can get.” 207-89-3. For Kiffin, that’s the Against LSU, Texas name of the game — conA&M missed 14 tackles and McNeese missed 14 stantly searching for an more, according to Pro advantage to get any leg Football Focus. A reup on the competition. Whether it’s trying to rosduced sense of aggression could have contributed to ter NFL rookies after they those mistakes, but not all were cut in training camp, Southeastern Conference inviting the band to a precoaches are believers. season scrimmage to pre“I don’t know if it’s the pare for the home opener color of the locker room,” or painting the visiting Ole Miss coach Pete Goldlocker room pink, he has stopped at nothing looking ing said. “You’ve got to go for angles. on the road, and you got to Even if it’s ripped fight the crowd.” straight from Elle Woods’ Other SEC coaches also closet in “Legally Blonde.” downplayed the adverse “I think we did it two effects of getting ready for years ago (at Ole Miss) a game in a visiting locker and we never lost a home room, regardless of its colgame, and we haven’t lost or. They said SEC changing a home game since,” Kiffin rooms are typically nicer said. “Maybe it works.” than those in lower-level conferences, and other exEmail Koki Riley ternal factors such as the crowd and travel make road at koki.riley@ ALAINA BRUCE, theadvocate.com. For games harder. Interior designer at more LSU sports updates, Georgia coach Kirby Ritter maher Architects Smart, when he was a Disign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/ vision II coach, rode an 18lsunewsletter hour bus to Arkadelphia,

You can look at the tone of color and the intensity of color and then when you put that into a built environment, which is what I do every day, then you really can control an emotional response. Which is crazy to think about.”

OFFENSIVE LEADERS LSU

Mississippi State

PASSING

Player

Cmp-Att-Pct Yards TD Int

Sam Leavitt

117-173-67.6

1496

RUSHING

Player

Att

Dilin Jones Sam Leavitt Harlem Berry Stacy Gage Landen Clark Husan Longstreet

Net

110 60 30 21 20 5

Avg TD

482 259 208 166 99 35

4.4 4.3 6.7 7.9 4.7 7.0

5 7 1 2 4 0

RECEIVING Player

Rec Yards Avg TD

Winston Watkins Jackson Harris Trey’Dez Green Eugene Wilson Corey Barber Jr. Jayce Brown Phillip Wright Tre’ Brown Tyree Holloway

29 21 14 20 8 8 3 4 2

416 371 222 215 98 89 70 61 37

14.2 17.7 15.9 10.8 12.3 11.1 23.3 15.3 18.5

2 3 1 0 2 0 1 0 0

KICKING Player

XPM XPA FGM FGA

Scott Starzyk

PASSING

Player

Cmp-Att-Pct Yards TD Int

Kamario Taylor

102-154-66.2

1450 17

RUSHING

Player Fluff Bothwell Kamario Taylor Kolin Wilson J.J. Hill Xavier Gayten

Att

Net

Avg TD

74 43 31 10 16

403 159 131 124 51

5.4 3.7 4.2 12.4 3.2

3 1 0 2 1

RECEIVING Player

Rec Yards Avg TD

Anthony Evans Sanfrisco Magee Marquis Johnson Zion Ragins Fluff Bothwell Sam West Kolin Wilson

40 16 13 11 9 7 5

574 259 218 184 96 58 50

14.3 16.2 16.8 16.7 10.7 8.3 10.0

5 5 2 4 1 1 0

KICKING Player

XPM XPA FGM FGA

Kyle Ferrie

DEFENSIVE LEADERS TACKLES Player

TACKLES

Tot Solo Ast Loss Sk

TJ Dottery 42 Ty Beneﬁeld 26 Princewill Umanmielen 26 Davhon Keys 24 Whit Weeks 23 PJ Woodland 19 Jhase Thomas 16 DJ Pickett 16 Tamarcus Cooley 15 Deuce Geralds 15 Jordan Ross 14 Stephiylan Green 11 Malik Blocton 10

22 11 14 14 10 11 10 14 11 10 5 4 4

20 15 12 10 13 8 6 2 4 5 9 7 6

2 1 11 1 2.5 0 1 0 1 5 4.5 2 2

0 1 8 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 1.5 1 1.5

INTERCEPTIONS Player

Tamarcus Cooley DJ Pickett Jordan Ross Ja’Keem Jackson Michael Turner

Tot Yards Avg TD BU 2 1 1 1 1

21 32 30 10 10

10.5 32.0 30.0 10.0 10.0

0 0 1 0 0

2 2 1 1 0

Player

Tyler Lockhart Jalen Smith Jardin Gilbert Amaree Williams Jett Jefferson Marcus Williams Kendel Dolby Kelly Jones Isaac Smith Jaray Bledsoe Fatt Forrest Dre Riley Will Whiton DJ Reed Jayson Jenkins

Tot Solo Ast Loss Sk 31 28 26 26 25 23 22 17 17 15 14 14 13 12 10

12 7 17 12 15 13 7 11 8 6 3 11 7 3 5

19 21 9 14 10 10 15 6 9 9 11 3 6 9 5

2.5 1 2 3 0 1 0 1.5 1 4.5 0.5 0 3.5 1 0

2 0 1 1.5 0 1 0 0 0 1.5 0.5 0 2.0 0 0

INTERCEPTIONS Player

Tot Yards Avg TD BU

Jalen Smith Dre Riley

1 1

8 4

8.0 4.0

0 0

1 2

TEAM STATS OFFENSE PER GAME Yards gained: 524.9

OFFENSE PER GAME Yards gained: 487.0

Plays: 81.0

Plays: 71.2

PASS 311.2

RUSH 213.7

PASS 35.8

RUSH 45.2

Turnovers: 1.66

PASS 309.2

RUSH 177.8

PASS 33.8

RUSH 37.4

Turnovers: 1.40

INTERCEPTIONS 1.33

FUMBLES 0.33

INTERCEPTIONS 0.80

FUMBLES 0.60

DEFENSE PER GAME Yards allowed: 250.7

DEFENSE PER GAME Yards allowed: 379.6

PASS 176.2

PASS 260.0

RUSH 74.5

Turnovers forced: 1.33

Turnovers forced: 0.80

INTERCEPTIONS 1.00

FUMBLES 0.33

SCORING PER GAME SCORED ALLOWED

RUSH 119.6

INTERCEPTIONS 0.40

FUMBLES 0.40

SCORING PER GAME

SCORED ALLOWED

42.0 22.8

39.0 19.8

18.5

2026

28.0

2025

2026

30.2

2025

CONVERSION SUCCESS

Third down

Fourth down 18.2%

47.8%

52.4%

81.8% Fail

Convert

Fail

Fourth down 16.7%

52.2%

STAFF PhOTO BY mIChAEL JOhNSON

The LSU football team runs out of the tunnel for a game against Texas A&m on Sept. 26 in Tiger Stadium.

30.4

Convert

Fail

47.6% 83.3% Convert

Fail

Convert

COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE State Mississippi St. (4-1) at LSU (4-2), 11 a.m. McNeese St. (2-4) at Northwestern St. (0-6), noon Grambling (4-2) at Alabama A&M (5-2), 2 p.m. Stephen F. Austin (6-0) at Nicholls (2-4), 3 p.m. Troy (3-2) at UL (4-2), 4 p.m. Lamar (5-1) at Southeastern Louisiana (3-3), 4 p.m. Louisiana Tech (3-2) at UL-Monroe (0-5), 7 p.m. Idle: Southern

Top 25 Saturday’s games

No. 1 Georgia (6-0) vs. Auburn (3-2), 2:30 p.m. No. 2 Notre Dame (6-0) at No. 8 BYU (5-0), 6:30 p.m. No. 3 Miami (5-0) vs. Florida St. (3-3), 6 p.m. No. 4 Ohio St. (5-1) at No. 5 Indiana (6-0), 11 a.m. No. 6 Alabama (5-1) at No. 14 Tennessee (5-1), 2:30 p.m. No. 7 Texas (4-1) vs. Florida (4-2), 11 a.m. No. 9 Ole Miss (4-1) vs. No. 13 Missouri (5-1), 2:30 p.m. No. 10 Texas Tech (5-0) vs. Arizona St. (3-2), 2:30 p.m. No. 11 Utah (5-0) at Colorado (2-3), 9:15 p.m. No. 12 UCLA (5-0) vs. Wisconsin (4-1), 6:30 p.m. No. 15 Kentucky (5-1) at Oklahoma (3-2), 6:30 p.m. No. 16 Mississippi St. (4-1) at No. 22 LSU (4-2), 11 a.m. No. 18 Oklahoma St. (4-1) at No. 20 Houston (5-1), 6:30 p.m. No. 21 Wake Forest (5-1) at California (3-3), 9:30 p.m. No. 24 SMU (4-1) vs. Virginia (4-2), 11 a.m. No. 25 Northwestern (4-1) at Michigan St. (2-4), 11 a.m.

Nation Tuesday’s games

SOUTH Middle Tennessee 33, Delaware 30 Jacksonville St. 27, FIU 24

Wednesday’s games

MIDWEST Missouri St. 24, Kennesaw St. 21 SOUTHWEST W. Kentucky 16, Sam Houston St. 3

Thursday’s games

SOUTH UAB 30, East Carolina 17 Georgia Southern 23, Old Dominion 15 SOUTHWEST Texas State 66, Colorado St. 27

Friday’s games

EAST Columbia (3-1) at Penn (2-2), n. SOUTH Memphis (5-1) at Tulane (2-3), n. Appalachian St. (3-2) at Coastal Carolina (2-4), n. MIDWEST Washington (3-3) at Purdue (3-3), n.

Saturday’s games

EAST CCSU (2-3) at Mercyhurst (1-5), 11 a.m. Duquesne (1-4) at Stonehill (2-4), 11 a.m. Rhode Island (3-3) at Yale (3-1), 11 a.m. FAU (4-1) at Army (3-2), 11 a.m. Brown (2-2) at Princeton (3-1), 11 a.m. Cincinnati (4-1) at West Virginia (3-3), 11 a.m. New Haven (1-5) at Robert Morris (3-3), 11 a.m. Hampton (1-5) at Sacred Heart (2-4), 11 a.m. Pittsburgh (5-1) at Boston College (2-3), 11 a.m. Rutgers (1-4) at Maryland (2-4), 11:30 a.m. Bryant (4-2) at Maine (1-5), noon Merrimack (2-4) at Dartmouth (1-3), noon Holy Cross (2-4) at Harvard (F4-0), noon Monmouth (NJ) (4-2) at New Hampshire (2-5), noon Charlotte (0-6) at Temple (2-4), noon Georgetown (1-4) at Colgate (4-2), noon UMass (4-2) at Buffalo (3-3), noon Lehigh (6-0) at Cornell (2-2), 1 p.m.

Albany (NY) (3-3) at Stony Brook (4-2), 1:30 p.m. Lafayette (1-4) at Bucknell (1-5), 2 p.m. Villanova (2-4) at Fordham (2-5), 2:30 p.m. Morehouse (0-1) at Howard (2-4), 2:30 p.m. LIU Brooklyn (2-5) at Wagner (1-5), 4 p.m. Louisville (3-3) at Syracuse (2-3), 6:30 p.m. SOUTH Charleston Southern (3-3) at Clemson (3-2), 11 a.m. Georgia St. (4-1) at James Madison (6-0), 11 a.m. Chicago State (1-5) at NC A&T (2-5), 11 a.m. Morehead St. (1-5) at Davidson (2-5), noon McNeese St. (2-4) at Northwestern St. (0-6), noon VMI (0-6) at Wofford (4-3), 12:30 p.m. Presbyterian (3-3) at Stetson (1-5), 1 p.m. Austin Peay (5-2) at West Georgia (1-5), 1 p.m. West Alabama (0-0) at West Florida (3-2), 1 p.m. E. Kentucky (2-4) at Tennessee Tech (5-1), 1:30 p.m. Bethune-Cookman (3-3) at MVSU (3-4), 2 p.m. Gardner-Webb (2-5) at UT Martin (2-4), 2 p.m. Florida A&M (2-4) at Jackson St. (5-1), 2 p.m. Grambling St. (4-2) at Alabama A&M (5-2), 2 p.m. Georgia Tech (2-3) at Virginia Tech (4-2), 2:30 p.m. North Carolina (3-2) at Duke (4-1), 2:30 p.m. Towson (0-7) at Campbell (5-1), 2:30 p.m. Stephen F. Austin (6-0) at Nicholls (2-4), 3 p.m. Troy (3-2) at Louisiana-Lafayette (4-2), 4 p.m. South Dakota (5-2) at Murray St. (1-5), 4 p.m. Lamar (5-1) at SE Louisiana (3-3), 4 p.m. Morgan St. (5-1) at Tennessee St. (1-5), 5:30 p.m. Arkansas (2-4) at Vanderbilt (3-3), 6 p.m. Arkansas St. (2-4) at Southern Miss. (1-4), 6 p.m. Kent St. (2-4) at South Florida (4-2), 6 p.m. Mercer (5-2) at Samford (1-5), 6 p.m. Abilene Christian (3-4) at North Alabama (4-2), 6 p.m. Louisiana Tech (3-2) at Louisiana-Monroe (0-5), 7 p.m. MIDWEST Kansas (2-3) at Kansas St. (3-2), 11 a.m. Ball St. (1-5) at Bowling Green (2-4), 11 a.m. Dayton (4-1) at Butler (5-1), noon

Marist (3-3) at Drake (2-4), noon W. Michigan (4-2) at Cent. Michigan (3-3), 12:30 p.m. S. Dakota St. (5-1) at North Dakota (5-2), 1 p.m. W. Illinois (3-3) at SE Missouri (3-3), 2 p.m. Lindenwood (Mo.) (1-4) at E. Illinois (2-4), 2 p.m. Toledo (4-2) at E. Michigan (4-3), 2:30 p.m. Penn St. (3-3) at Michigan (3-2), 2:30 p.m. Akron (1-5) at Miami (Ohio) (3-3), 2:30 p.m. Illinois St. (4-2) at S. Illinois (3-4), 3 p.m. N. Iowa (3-2) at Youngstown St. (5-2), 5 p.m. Nevada (2-3) at N. Dakota St. (5-1), 6 p.m. SOUTHWEST The Citadel (2-4) at Texas A&M (3-3), noon Alabama St. (3-3) at Ark.-Pine Bluff (3-2), 2 p.m. Alcorn St. (4-3) at Prairie View (2-5), 2 p.m. Tulsa (3-3) at Rice (1-5), 3:30 p.m. Cent. Arkansas (2-4) at Tarleton St. (6-0), 6 p.m. TCU (2-3) at Baylor (4-1), 6 p.m. UT Rio Grande Valley (3-3) at Incarnate Word (2-4), 6 p.m. East Texas A&M (2-4) at Houston Christian (3-3), 6 p.m. Navy (2-3) at UTSA (5-1), 7 p.m. San Jose St. (3-3) at UTEP (1-5), 8 p.m. FAR WEST Idaho (1-5) at Montana (5-2), 2 p.m. Idaho St. (4-2) at Weber St. (4-3), 2 p.m. N. Illinois (0-5) at Wyoming (3-3), 2:30 p.m. UNLV (4-2) at Air Force (4-1), 2:30 p.m. Valparaiso (3-3) at San Diego (2-4), 3 p.m. Washington St. (1-5) at Oregon St. (4-2), 5 p.m. Portland St. (2-4) at N. Arizona (5-2), 6 p.m. Montana St. (5-1) at E. Washington (2-5), 6 p.m. Elon (4-3) at Stanford (2-4), 6:30 p.m. Cal Poly (4-3) at N. Colorado (2-5), 7 p.m. UC Davis (4-2) at S. Utah (2-4), 7 p.m. Ohio (4-2) at Sacramento St. (1-5), 9 p.m. Fresno St. (4-2) at San Diego St. (2-4), 9:30 p.m. New Mexico (4-1) at Hawaii (1-5), 9:30 p.m. Nebraska (5-1) at Oregon (3-2), 10 p.m.

4 l Saturday, October 17, 2026 l theadvocate.com l The Acadiana Advocate 4C

THE NATION lll

THINGS TO WATCH IN WEEK 7 Who, what and where to keep an eye on in this week’s games around the nation

FAMILIARITY FOR OLE MISS, MIZZOU

No. 9 Ole miss and No. 13 missouri each field statistical leaders that began their careers at the opposing school.The reunion of four showcase performers — Austin Simmons, Cayden Lee and Chris Graves of missouri, and Kewan Lacy of Ole miss — serves as a major storyline on Saturday. Simmons is 107-of165 passing for 1,434 yards with 14 touchdowns. Lee has 42 receptions for 616 yards and five TDs. Lacy has been the Ole miss leading rusher for two seasons after starting his career at missouri.

RISING IRISH FACE BYU’S TOUGH ‘D’

No. 2 Notre Dame has unleashed plenty of offensive firepower this season. But it has not faced a defense quite like No. 8 BYU’s — yet. These two units will take center stage in Saturday’s clash of unbeatens. So far, nobody has really been able to slow down an offense that ranks fourth in the FBS at 43.4 points per game. The Cougars have been among the stingiest defenses in the nation, entering the game seventh nationally in total defense while allowing just 13.4 points.

REMATCH FOR BUCKEYES, HOOSIERS

No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Indiana match up in the only top-five contest Saturday.The Buckeyes and hoosiers will be ready to grind things out to grab the inside track to a Big Ten title game berth in this rematch of last season’s league championship game.While Bo Jackson and Ja’Kobi Jackson have played well enough to help the Buckeyes average 165.7 yards rushing per game, the running game has been the telltale sign of success. Ohio State has been outrushed in each of its past three losses, including last year’s 13-10 loss to the hoosiers. — Associated Press

SEC RATINGS BY KOKI RILEY 1. GEORGIA Record: 6-0, 4-0 Previous ranking: 3 Last week: beat Alabama 20-17 This week: vs.Auburn, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN) 2. ALABAMA Record: 5-1, 3-1 Previous ranking: 2 Last week: lost to Georgia 20-17 This week: at Tennessee, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC) 3. OLE MISS Record: 4-1, 2-1 Previous ranking: 4 Last week: beat vanderbilt 52-17 This week: vs. missouri, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network) 4. MISSISSIPPI STATE Record: 4-1, 2-1 Previous ranking: 8 Last week: off This week: at LSU, 11 a.m. Saturday (ESPN) 5. MISSOURI Record: 5-1, 2-1 Previous ranking: 6 Last week: beat Texas A&m 27-6 This week: at Ole miss, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network) 6. TEXAS Record: 4-1, 1-1 SEC Previous ranking: 1 Last week: lost to Oklahoma 27-24 This week: vs. Florida, 11 a.m. Saturday (ABC)

STAFF PhOTO BY PEARL SPURLOCK

LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt, left, throws a pass on Oct. 3 at Tiger Stadium.

Bar is win or else for LSU The “WIN!” bar, a piece of the old goalpost that stood in Tiger Stadium for 30 years, is an artifact of LSU lore and college football tradition. Players touch it for good luck as they run out of the chute from the LSU locker room and into the seething cauldron that is Death Valley. It is such a meaningful, Scott literal touchstone, edible Rabalais replicas of it have been created, and a real metal reproduction (not edible) hangs in the College Football Hall of Fame. Saturday, as the Tigers tap the “WIN!” bar and head out onto the field to take on Mississippi State, they had better be prepared to back up that action with another action. If you follow football, you know what Lane Kiffin’s old boss — and later yet another in a long line of his detractors — late Raiders owner Al Davis was famous for saying: “Just win, baby.” Saturday, that phrase deserves an addendum for LSU: “Just win, baby … or else.” With four home wins balanced against a one-touchdown loss at Ole Miss and a one-point overtime comeuppance this past Saturday at Kentucky, the Tigers have put themselves in a fix. A tight spot. A peculiar circumstance. No. 22-ranked LSU must beat No. 16 Mississippi State in their 11 a.m. game on ESPN or the Tigers’ season is, essentially, over. A loss would drop LSU to 4-3 overall and more meaningfully than that, 1-3 in the Southeastern Conference. In the current “make it or else” world of the 12-team College Football Playoff, there is no more margin for error. Maybe this will be the year a 9-3 team makes the CFP, but LSU can’t bank on that. The Tigers must win. Then win and win

and win, probably needing to run the table on their final six games to get into the playoff. The Kentucky loss left LSU with virtually no contingency. Next year there will probably be a 24-team CFP field (ugh), but for now, it’s make it into that precious dozen or months of effort and preparation and practice are a wasted collective effort. There is good news for LSU amid all this all-or-nothing talk. The Tigers have played great at home, winning by an average score of 49-11, albeit against a cast of characters that include underperforming Clemson and Texas A&M. And, perhaps more relevant than that, Mississippi State is likely operating at a talent deficit. Mad dogs may come out with Englishmen in the midday sun, but some of the best Bulldogs who come out to fight the Fighting Tigers in this one could well be wearing walking boots. State quarterback Kamario Taylor leads the SEC in total offense (321.8 yards per game), total touchdowns (18) and passing touchdowns (17). But he’s been questionable all week with what is believed to be turf toe, a name that doesn’t do the painful injury (spraining or tearing of ligaments attaching the big toe to the foot) justice. “It might have a silly name,” former NFL star turned broadcaster Jason Kelce said. “Ain’t nothing silly about it.” Taylor, who said he grew up a Tiger fan in Mississippi but was put off when LSU tried to recruit him as a safety, went down two weeks ago against Alabama, the Bulldogs’ last game. Add to that an unspecified foot/ankle injury to top tailback Fluff Bothwell — pair him with LSU’s Roman Mothershed and you could start a list of All-American caliber college football names — and State has major problems. Despite all that, Mississippi State comes in ranked ahead of LSU for the first time since 2000 and just the eighth time in their

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2:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 2:30 p.m. 3 p.m. 5 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m. 6 p.m.

6 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. 7 p.m. 9:15 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 9:30 p.m. 10 p.m.

117 prior meetings, most ever between LSU and any opponent. But if Taylor and Bothwell aren’t roaming the Bulldogs’ backfield, that dog won’t hunt an upset of the Tigers by a long shot. Unless … Look, you, me and the guys who painted the Tiger Stadium visitors’ locker room pink know that LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt has to stop … turning … over … the … bleeping … ball. If he doesn’t, he could give a short-handed State team reason for hope with short fields or, as in the Louisiana Tech game, a pick-six. Leavitt has committed nine turnovers through six games: eight interceptions and a fumble. He is the only FBS quarterback who has thrown at least one pick this season in every one of his games. Maybe some of it is truly bad luck — tipped passes, passes that should have been caught, etc. And Leavitt definitely has some strong stats in his column: He averages 8.65 yards per pass attempt and has 17 total touchdowns (10 passing, seven rushing), just one behind Taylor’s SEC-leading total. But LSU does not need to give State any reason to hope for an upset via any gift turnovers. The Tigers must be ruthless, like Grand Moff Tarkin in “Star Wars” (as movie villains go, it’s a name on par with turf toe), willing to “crush the rebellion with one swift stroke.” Throughout their history, State has always been there for LSU when LSU needed a win. The Tigers have dominated the series on the field 78-36-3, and since 1992 are 28-4 against the Bulldogs. At the end of Saturday, that streak better be 29-4. For LSU, any other prospect is too bitter to contemplate. It may just knock the “WIN!” bar off its perch.

TV HIGHLIGHTS 11 a.m. Florida at Texas ABC 11 a.m. Char. Southern at Clemson ACCN 11 a.m. FAU at Army CBSSN 11 a.m. virginia at SmU CW 11 a.m. mississippi St. at LSU ESPN 11 a.m. Pitt at Boston College ESPN2 11 a.m. Georgia St. at JmU ESPNU 11 a.m. Ohio St. at Indiana FOX 11 a.m. Kansas at Kansas St. FS1 11 a.m. N’western at michigan St. NBCSN 11 a.m. Cincinnati at West virginia TNT 11:30 a.m. Rutgers at maryland BTN 2:30 p.m. Alabama at Tennessee ABC

Georgia Tech at virginia Tech ACCN Penn St. at michigan CBS UNLv at Air Force CBSSN N. Illinois at Wyoming CW Auburn at Georgia ESPN North Carolina at Duke ESPN2 Arizona St. at Texas Tech FOX missouri at Ole miss SECN Illinois St. at S. Illinois ESPNU Washington St. at Oregon St. USA Nevada at N. Dakota St. CBSSN Florida St. at miami ESPN Arkansas at vanderbilt ESPN2

TCU at Baylor FS1 Notre Dame at BYU ABC Louisville at Syracuse ACCN Oklahoma St. at houston FOX Wisconsin at UCLA NBC SECN Kentucky at Oklahoma Navy at UTSA ESPNU Utah at Colorado ESPN Fresno St. at San Diego St. CBSSN Wake Forest at California ESPN2 New mexico at hawaii FS1 Nebraska at Oregon FOX

7. LSU Record: 4-2, 1-2 Previous ranking: 5 Last week: lost to Kentucky 35-34 in OT This week: vs. mississippi State, 11 a.m. Saturday (ESPN) 8. KENTUCKY Record: 5-1, 3-1 Previous ranking: 10 Last week: beat LSU 35-34 in OT This week: at Oklahoma, 6:30 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network) 9. TENNESSEE Record: 5-1, 2-1 Previous ranking: 9 Last week: beat Arkansas 24-17 This week: vs.Alabama, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ABC) 10. FLORIDA Record: 4-2, 2-2 Previous ranking: 7 Last week: lost to South Carolina 38-19 This week: at Texas, 11 a.m. Saturday (ABC) 11. OKLAHOMA Record: 3-2, 1-1 Previous ranking: 12 Last week: beat Texas 27-24 This week: vs. Kentucky, 6:30 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network) 12. SOUTH CAROLINA Record: 3-3, 1-3 Previous ranking: 14 Last week: beat Florida 38-19 This week: off 13. AUBURN Record: 3-2, 1-2 Previous ranking: 11 Last week: off This week: at Georgia, 2:30 p.m. Saturday (ESPN) 14. TEXAS A&M Record: 3-3, 1-3 Previous ranking: 14 Last week: lost to missouri 27-6 This week: vs.The Citadel, noon Saturday (SEC Network+) 15. VANDERBILT Record: 3-3, 0-3 Previous ranking: 13 Last week: lost to Ole miss 52-17 This week: vs.Arkansas, 6 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2) 16. ARKANSAS Record: 2-4, 0-3 Previous ranking: 16 Last week: lost to Tennessee 24-17 This week: at vanderbilt, 6 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2)

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T R O Y A T U L • 4 P. m . S A T U R D A Y • E S P N +

HUNGRY CAJUNS

UL wants to flush loss to La. Tech with prime performance vs. Troy BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

There’s no underselling how significant the 4 p.m. Saturday showdown against Troy is for the UL Ragin’ Cajuns at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. The Cajuns are 4-2 overall and 1-1 in MORE ON league play. A second PAGE 7C Sun Belt loss would relegate UL’s chances n Sun Belt of playing in the Sun Conference Belt championship game to long-shot terpower rankings ritory. n Cajuns Plus, there’s a restatistics, ally bad taste in the schedule mouth of every UL n Kevin Foote’s coach and player after last week’s 32game prediction 31 loss at Louisiana Tech. “We’ve got to prepare like our backs are against the wall, because they are,” UL coach Michael Desormeaux said. “There’s no more room for error. Our goal is to get the conference championship. That’s our goal. “We’ve got to get on a roll, but you can’t start a streak without the first one. These next two games are huge before we get to the bye week.” Redshirt junior defensive tackle Chase Edwards said the team “has flushed” last week’s loss in Ruston. “We just have to be more vocal on defense when things get tight,” he said. “The lights can’t be too bright. We just have to make plays. We all know that.” Motivation is at an all-time high. “We are just angry with ourselves for not finishing the job,” running back Anthony Reagan said. “We know we lost a game we shouldn’t have lost, so this week, you know you’ve got to go hard. There can’t be any

STAFF PhOTO BY BRAD KEmP

UL quarterback Lunch Winfield runs against the UAB defense on Sept. 19 at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. Winfield and the ä See CAJUNS, page 7C Cajuns will try to bounce back from last week’s 32-31 loss to Louisiana Tech when they host Troy on Saturday afternoon.

AD Ausberry: LSU supports 24-team CFP

Losses looming over Saints GM Loomis

BY JON BLAU and ALYSE PFEIL Staff writers

LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry expressed support Friday for the College Football Playoff’s pending expansion from 12 to 24 teams. Ausberry told the LSU board of supervisors during its regularly scheduled meeting that Southeastern Conference schools are disadvantaged in the current 12-team CFP because strength of schedule isn’t weighed heavily enough by the selection committee. The SEC requires its schools to play nine conference games while also scheduling a nonconference matchup with a Power Four school. The Big Ten doesn’t require its teams to play a Power Four team out of conference. “For the last three years, they won the national championship in football, and they have not played a Power Four ... school,” Ausberry told the board. “That’s why we feel that it helps us. It helps us financially. “The first two games would be on campuses. So you could have two playoff games on your campus here. Then there’d be a quarterfinal game, a semifinal game, then a championship game. So we feel that’s why the 24 was best for us.” According to reports, the move to 24 teams in the CFP would result in the elimination of conference championship games. Ausberry acknowledged there was a “back and forth” on how far to expand beyond the current 12team format. Doubling the field should, theoretically, allow SEC schools to snatch more playoff bids despite scheduling differences. “It was at 14 at one time. It was at 16 at one time,” Ausberry said. “We said, you know what, they don’t take the strength of conference into play (with fewer CFP slots). And we thought taking the strength of conference, in the SEC, was more beneficial to us.” LSU coach Lane Kiffin has expressed similar misgivings about the strength of SEC schedules compared to other conferences, especially since the SEC moved from eight to nine conference games this season.

STAFF FILE PhOTO BY mIChAEL JOhNSON

LSU athletic director verge Ausberry watches an LSU basketball game against Oklahoma on Feb. 28 at the Pete maravich Assembly Center.

“There’s a lot of good teams we think in the SEC that can miss out.” vERGE AUSBERRY, LSU athletic director “There’s a lot of good teams we think in the SEC that can miss out.” Ausberry referred to last year’s playoff, which didn’t feature 9-3 Texas or 10-2 Vanderbilt. The Longhorns lost a regular-season opener, 14-7, to Ohio State. “They got left out of it,” Ausberry said. “I think (24 teams) gives more opportunity for our teams, the teams we play, and the schedule we play … and I also think it’ll help us also schedule bigger games against other opponents like the Notre Dames or the Ohio States or the Michigans. “Because now you don’t have to worry about, OK, you lose a game, you might not make the playoffs. So now it affords you to play those tougher and bigger games.” The CFP has yet to ofﬁcially announce it has agreed with ESPN on an expansion to 24 teams, but it’s been widely reported that a deal is nearing completion. Ausberry conﬁrmed the expanded playoff should start next football season. “All indications we’re getting is 2027. That’s what we’re getting from the conference and everyone else,” Ausberry said. “So that’s where we got that from.” Email Jon Blau at jon.blau@theadvocate.com Alyse Pfeil at alyse.pfeil@theadvocate.com

No one needs Kellen Moore and the New Orleans Saints to rally this season more than Mickey Loomis. As the Saints’ losses mount, so does the pressure on the longtime general manager. He’s become a lightning rod for fan frustration, and after gaining a temporary restraining order thanks to Tyler Shough’s emergence last season, he’s once again centered squarely in their crosshairs. Right now, things are not looking good. The Saints are 1-4 as they prepare for an important two-game road trip to New York and Paris. They are coming off embarrassing home losses to the Falcons and Vikings and ﬁnd themselves in a rut deeper than a New Orleans sinkhole. Only 14 teams in the last 50 years have made the playoffs after starting 1-4. That gives the Saints a 5% chance. The good news is the Saints have been here before. They have started 1-4 an incredible 13 times in club history. The bad news is they’ve failed to make the playoffs in each of those prior instances. With an extra 17th game, it’s easier to recover now, but history and the odds are working against them. If Moore fails, so does Loomis. Their fates are inextricably entwined. Moore was Loomis’ handpicked coach, the guy he likened to Sean Payton, the one he turned to after the Dennis Allen debacle. In January 2025 when Loomis was asked why Saints fans should have conﬁdence in him to pick the right

Jeff Duncan ä Saints at Giants. NOON SUNDAY, FOX

coach, he confidently said, “Because we’ve done it before.” And while the selection of Payton was undoubtedly the best move Loomis ever made, it’s starting to look less like the rule and more like the exception. The more that Moore’s team struggles on the field, the more fans distrust Loomis’ ability to lead the Saints out of the abyss. Loomis received a mulligan after Allen was dismissed in 2024. Even in an organization as insular and hidebound as the Saints, it would be a surprise if he were given the opportunity to hire a fourth head coach. That would be harder to sell to Saints fans than those ridiculous $16 Michelob Ultras. Loomis is embedded into the organizational hierarchy deeper than any other GM in the league. He’s such an established member of the inner circle that he’s one of the executors of the Benson estate. Only a year ago, Saints owner Gayle Benson dismissed questions about Loomis’ job security, saying calls to fire him were “ridiculous.”

ä See DUNCAN, page 6C

6C l Saturday, October 17, 2026 l theadvocate.com l The Acadiana Advocate

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BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS

IN BRIEF

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

ä College football TV. PAGE 4C

On TV

AUTO RACING 3:30 p.m. NASCAR Cup: Practice TRUTv 4:35 p.m. NASCAR Cup: Qualifying TRUTv 6:30 p.m. NASCAR: Timberland PRO 200 CW MEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY 5 p.m. W. michigan at Notre Dame NBCSN WOMEN’S COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL 4 p.m. Purdue at Nebraska BTN 6 p.m. Penn St. at Southern Cal BTN GOLF 1 p.m. SAS Championship GOLF

10 p.m.

LPGA Tour: Shanghai HORSE RACING 7 a.m. British Champion Stakes 11 a.m. America’s Day at the Races 2:30 p.m. America’s Day at the Races MLB 7 p.m. Tampa Bay at Cleveland NHL Noon New Jersey at Washington 6 p.m. Buffalo at montreal

GOLF FS1 FS2 FS1 TBS NhLN NhLN

MEN’S SOCCER 8:55 a.m. West ham at Swansea City CBSSN 9 a.m. Liverpool at Brentford NBCSN 9 a.m. Ipswich Town at man City USA 11:30 a.m. Aston villa at Newcastle NBC 11:30 a.m. RB Leipzig at Bayern munich USA 3 p.m. Pacific FC at Cavalry FC FS2 WOMEN’S SOCCER 11:30 a.m. Gotham at Washington CBS 5:30 p.m. Kansas City at Utah ION 7:45 p.m. Angel City at Denver ION WNBA CHAMPIONSHIP 2:30 p.m. Atlanta at Golden State NBC

UL ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2026

Stokley took on all comers Ex-Cajuns football coach still holds longest tenure

BY DAN MCDONALD Contributing writer

PROvIDED PhOTO

Former UL football coach Nelson Stokley was inducted into the UL Athletics hall of Fame on Friday. only the second football coach to be inducted into the UL Athletics Hall of Fame, which took place Friday night. Stokley finishes off the fourth father-son/daughter pair to receive UL’s highest athletic honor as he joins his son and former UL wide receiver Brandon Stokley, who was inducted in 2008. Stokley’s career record was 6280-1, but the caveats to those numbers would ﬁll volumes. For most of his career, his teams played an independent schedule with no conference afﬁliation. The Cajuns were forced to play against more established programs who were also independents at the time and now are members of Power Four leagues. His squads also faced power-conference teams in “money” games, almost all of them on the road — 20 games against SEC teams and eight against Big 12 teams. His all-time record at Cajun Field was 38-26-1. In the three years that Stokley’s teams were in a league, as part

of its brief football membership in the Big West Conference from 1993-95, the Cajuns shared the Big West title twice and tied for second in the third year. His record in those three years was 20-13, including a 14-4 mark against the Big West. “We knew the challenge we were in,” Broussard said. “We were in the league those three years and it was a different world. We were just going to play whoever we had to and go and make money. Our guys were really competitive, just like their coach. Those other years we didn’t have a lot to compete for, but we knew what the challenge was and our guys never backed down from a challenge.” Stokley’s teams never had a bowl opportunity, losing out on the Big West’s bowl bid on tiebreakers both of those title years, including being passed over in 1993 with an 8-3 record. That team won eight of its last nine games, with the only loss at ninth-ranked Florida. He was named coach of the year in the Big West that season, which

was his first year out of the dual athletic director-head coach role that he filled for six years. The former 12-letter winner at Crowley High helped lead LSU to two bowl wins in his three varsity years there, and he later served as offensive coordinator at Clemson for six years that included three conference titles and the 1981 national championship. Four years later, the cover of UL’s 1996 football media guide read, “A Louisiana Classic Comes Home.” Broussard also talked about Stokley’s fierce loyalty, saying one of the proudest moments in his life came when Stokley asked him to change positions and coach wide receivers. “I didn’t look anything like a wide receiver,” the former offensive lineman said. “He’d point at me whenever anyone asked who coached the wideouts. But the greatest thing anyone ever said to me in coaching was when he said he wanted me to coach Brandon. That tells you something about what kind of man he was.”

Reese trusted coach Smesko to change shot BY TIM REYNOLDS

AP basketball writer

Angel Reese can laugh about it now. She wasn’t laughing when it happened. The scene was an Atlanta Dream practice, earlier this season. Dream coach Karl Smesko — who came to the WNBA after a college background based on getting teams to shoot layups, 3-pointers, free throws and nothing else — stopped a drill and wouldn’t resume play until Reese made backto-back shots from 3-point range. Reese was part embarrassed,

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Lamar Jackson is out again this weekend because of an ankle injury. This year, there’s no doubt who his primary backup is. Tyler Huntley will have another chance to shine in relief of Jackson after the two-time MVP quarterback was ruled out for Sunday’s game at Cleveland. Huntley won both his starts for the Ravens a season ago, and he also led Baltimore to an overtime win at Atlanta last weekend. The Ravens ruled out Jackson, center Cam Jurgens (concussion), tight end Matthew Hibner (hand) and defensive tackle Broderick Washington (ankle) for this weekend. When Jackson was hurt in Week 4 last season, the Ravens started Cooper Rush and lost their next two games, falling to 1-5.

Bucks move home opener to avoid World Series conflict

Editor’s Note: This is the ﬁfth in a ﬁve-part series on the UL Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

There were always two sides to Nelson Stokley, which likely helped make him the longest-tenured football coach in UL history. There was the serene, tranquil man, the one who let his coaches coach and was successful when sitting in the living rooms of recruits. And then there was that other guy, the one who friends and acquaintances call the most competitive person they ever have met. “He was a quiet guy until he wasn’t,” said Gerald Broussard, who was the only UL coach that was on Stokley’s staff for all of his 13 years. “He let you coach, he didn’t mess with you as an assistant, and when he needed to be, he was awesome. And he was so much fun to be around. “But when you weren’t doing things the way he wanted, he had a way of getting your attention quick. He’d drop a bomb on you in a second. But later on we’d be laughing and joking again, and he let us do our thing even though he was so sharp and had all that knowledge.” That knowledge and personality helped the Crowley native and national championship winner while at Clemson create many memorable moments after he took over the football program in 1986. Included in that were a pair of conference titles and arguably the biggest win in UL football history in 1996 over Texas A&M at Cajun Field. Those successes made Stokley

Ravens QB Jackson ruled out for 2nd straight week

part furious. Teammates cheered, and after a couple misses, Reese got the consecutive makes. Practice resumed. Smesko’s calculated risk was this: If Reese could step out of her comfort zone and handle pressure before her teammates in that moment, then she surely would be able to do the same in arenas with thousands of people watching. Sure enough, he was right — and Reese, whose penchant for missed layups has drawn waves of criticism over the start of her pro career, is now playing with renewed offensive conﬁdence for a Dream

DUNCAN

Continued from page 5C “(He) does a great job,” Benson said in November. “Mickey’s been one of the top NFL general managers. He’s a great guy.” Nevertheless, it’s becoming more and more difficult to, ahem, look beyond the results. The Saints have missed the playoffs for five consecutive years and will need an improbable rally to turnaround this year to avoid making it six straight. That would make it the longest playoff drought since 1993-99, when the Saints missed the postseason for seven consecutive seasons. That skid led to a complete housecleaning of the front office and coaching staff by owner Tom Benson. Will Gayle Benson be willing to do the same? She seemed to say as much earlier this week. “I am committed to making the decisions necessary to improve this team,” Benson said at the Greater New Orleans Quarterback Club. ”As the owner, the responsibility does start with me. I will not make excuses, and I will not accept this level of performance as our standard.” Unfortunately, this kind of season has been

team that opens the WNBA Finals against the Golden State Valkyries on Saturday. “Now it’s so easy, my conﬁdence is through the roof,” Reese said. “When I shoot them, it just feels like practice.” Let’s be clear: Reese isn’t a knockdown shooter quite yet. She shot 19% from beyond the arc in the regular season. Smesko told her changing the shot would be difficult and the numbers proved him right. He also told her that she would see improvement by the All-Star break, and again, he was right.

the standard for the Saints under Loomis without Payton and Drew Brees. In his eight-plus seasons as GM before and after the Payton-Brees era, his Saints teams are a combined 56-71 for a .440 winning percentage. In that span, they have never made the playoffs. This season would make it 0 for 9. Loomis has tried several things to right the ship. He’s changed head coaches, signed and drafted different franchise quarterbacks, and hired former GMs such as Dave Ziegler, Randy Mueller and Thomas Dimitroff as sounding boards and outside voices. So far, none of it has worked well enough to get the Saints back on track. The Saints pride themselves on their continuity. They like to compare themselves to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the league’s model for small-market success and stability. The Steelers have employed only four head coaches and general managers in the last half century. The Carolina Panthers, meanwhile, have run through four head coaches and three general managers in the eight-plus seasons since owner David Tepper took control. In that span, they have one division title and a playoff appearance to show for it, and that was last season when they “won” the woeful NFC South at 8-9.

Now in the playoffs, albeit with a small sample size, she’s shooting 39% from deep. And in the semiﬁnals against New York, she hit four 3s in a three-game series where the average Atlanta win margin was a mere five points. Every little bit mattered. “Start with the reality: This wouldn’t have worked unless she was open to making significant changes in her shot,” Smesko said. “Because of the labor agreement not happening until a couple of weeks before the season, we didn’t get a chance to work together until then. We needed a realistic plan.”

If the Saints were enjoying similar success to the Steelers, it would be easier to accept the comparisons. In the 24 seasons since 2002, the Steelers have suffered just one losing season, have made the playoffs 16 times and won two Super Bowls. The Saints have failed to make the playoffs and have suffered losing seasons in three of the last four years while competing in the worst division in football. They — along with the Colts, Falcons and Jets — are one of four teams to not make the playoffs since 2020. Loomis has maintained his characteristically low profile throughout the start of the season, but he is scheduled to speak to reporters next week in Paris. Benson was spot on when she said, “There’s a great deal of football ahead of us, but our response must show up on the field. Words will not restore our fans’ confidence. Our performance must do that.” Moore and the Saints still have time to turn things around. It’s only Week 6, and the NFC South is as mediocre as ever. It’s too early to bury the Saints. But the hole will get deeper and the odds longer if they lose to the Giants on Sunday in New York. If that happens, the postgame flight to Paris will be a long one. And the leash on Moore and Loomis will get shorter.

MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Bucks are going to have an afternoon tipoff for their Oct. 23 home opener with the Chicago Bulls to avoid a direct conﬂict with Game 1 of the World Series, which is taking place in Milwaukee that evening. The Bucks announced Friday their home opener would take place at 3 p.m. rather than 7 p.m. The Milwaukee Brewers will be hosting either the Cleveland Guardians or Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the World Series that night. The Brewers had earned home-field advantage throughout the playoffs by having the best regular-season record in the major leagues, and they clinched their ﬁrst World Series berth since 1982 on Thursday by completing an NL Championship Series sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Jodar to face Medvedev in Shanghai Masters semis

SHANGHAI — Rafael Jodar became the youngest semifinalist in Shanghai Masters history on Friday and will next meet Daniil Medvedev. The 20-year-old Spaniard rallied to a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win against Casper Ruud, while Medvedev overcame American Tommy Paul 6-3, 1-6, 6-3. It was the fourth straight match at the ATP Masters 1000 event in which Jodar had mounted a comeback from losing the first set. Jodar powered to victory in 2 hours 20 minutes by breaking Ruud’s serve five times in the second and third sets. Medvedev, a former Shanghai Masters champion, looked in trouble when losing the second set but recovered to claim victory in 2 hours 9 minutes.

Djokovic accepts wild-card invite to Swiss Indoors

BASEL, Switzerland — Novak Djokovic will bid for a 103rd career title after being handed a wild-card entry for the Swiss Indoors in Basel on Friday. The 24-time major champion last played at the tournament in 2009. The ATP tour announced his participation in a post on X, along with the words “17 years on ...” Play begins at the ATP 500 event on Oct. 26. The 39-year-old Serb won the China Open this month, and needs one more title to tie Roger Federer on the all-time list. American Jimmy Connors leads with 109 in the Open era. The wild-card invite comes after the Six Kings Slam, an exhibition tournament in Saudi Arabia, was postponed until late December.

Southern Nazarene safety has died after injury in game

BETHANY, Okla. — Southern Nazarene University in Oklahoma announced on Thursday that sophomore safety Tyler Ulrich has died ﬁve days after suffering what the school called a “traumatic injury” during a game against Ouachita Baptist. Ulrich was 21. The Division II private school based in Bethany, Oklahoma, did not reveal the cause of death or the nature of Ulrich’s injury. “It is with heavy hearts that we share the loss of our SNU football player, Tyler Ulrich,” the SNU Athletics said in a post on its X account. “This loss is deeply felt across our campus. Our hearts are with his family, friends, teammates, and everyone who knew him,” the post read. “We ask that you join us in lifting them up in prayer.”

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GAMEDAY TEAM STATS OFFENSE PER GAME Yards gained: 382.2 PASS 189.2

RUSH 193.0

Plays: 65.3 PASS 23.8

RUSH 41.5

Turnovers: 1.66 INTERCEPTIONS 0.83

FUMBLES 0.83

DEFENSE PER GAME Yards allowed: 303.5 PASS 202.8

RUSH 100.7

Turnovers forced: 2.00 INTERCEPTIONS 1.00

FUMBLES 1.00

SCORING PER GAME 29.5

29.2

26.0

21.5

SCORED ALLOWED

2026

2025

LEADERS PASSING Lunch Winfield 72.39%, 1,083 yards, 3 TDs, 4 INTs RUSHING Lunch Winfield 82 carries, 398 yards, 4.9 avg, 8 TDs Blanco Stevem 44 carries, 160 yards, 3.6 avg, 3 TDs RECEIVING Russell Babineaux 14 catches, 116 yards, 8.3 avg, TD Trenton Chaney 11 catches, 124 yards, 11.3 avg London Strother 11 catches, 116 yards, 10.5 avg DEFENSE Jake St. Andre 40 tackles, 3.5 for loss Brent Gordon 38 tackles, 5.5 for loss Maurion Eleam 32 tackles, 0.5 for loss

SCHEDULE SEPTEMBER 5 Lamar W, 38-7 12 at USC L, 49-30 19 UAB W, 21-14 26 at Charlotte W, 34-7 OCTOBER 3 Arkansas State W, 23-20 10 at La. Tech L, 32-31 17 Troy 4 p.m./ESPN+ 24 at Southern miss 4 p.m./ESPN+ NOVEMBER 7 South Alabama TBD 12 at UL-monroe 8 p.m./ESPN 21 Coastal Carolina TBD 28 at Georgia State TBD

PREDICTION UL 34,TROY 30: Last week’s 32-31 road loss to Louisiana Tech is going to sting for a long time. The best ointment for it is a win Saturday over Troy. To do so, the defense is going to have to figure out a way to defend the pass better than it did in Ruston. Replacing safety Collin Jacob is looking like a tougher chore than some expected. Now the Cajuns need to elude the turnover bug as fumbling has become commonplace this season. On paper, it’s going to be much tougher to run against Troy than throw the ball. Lunch Winfield is the leader of this team and is coming off his worst performance of the season. It’s hard to imagine him doing it again. Kevin Foote

SUN BELT STANDINGS Conf. W L JMU 3 0 Ga. State 1 0 Coastal Ca. 1 1 Georgia So. 1 1 App. State 0 1 ODU 1 2 Marshall 0 2 Conf. W L South Ala. 2 0 La. Tech 1 0 Troy 1 0 UL 1 1 So. Miss. 0 1 1 UL-Monroe 0 Ark. State 0 2

East PF 118 42 51 55 3 40 38

PA 61 10 52 51 10 91 72

All Games W L PF PA 6 0 251 90 4 1 197 95 2 4 151 146 2 4 148 146 3 2 142 99 2 4 109 165 3 3 132 202

PF 108 32 55 54 34 35 69

PA 84 31 34 52 55 52 79

All Games W L PF PA 4 2 233 207 3 2 176 147 3 2 140 120 4 2 177 129 1 4 132 173 0 5 120 223 2 4 169 173

West

Thursday’s Games

Georgia Southern 23, Old Dominion 15

Friday’s Games

App. State at Coastal Carolina, (n)

Saturday’s Games

Georgia State at James Madison, 11 a.m. Troy at UL, 4 p.m. Arkansas State at Southern Miss., 6 p.m. La. Tech at UL-Monroe, 7 p.m.

The Acadiana Advocate l theadvocate.com l Saturday, October 17, 2026 l 7C

TROY at UL

4 p.m., Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KPEL-Fm, 103.3 Line: Cajuns by 3 (Over/Under: 49½)

UL, Georgia St. face huge tests BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

It’s just the halfway point in the regular season, but there’s some awfully big games on tap for several Sun Belt teams this weekend. Let’s start at 11 a.m. Saturday morning at James Madison. The reigning league champion Dukes will be taking on the upstart Georgia State Panthers. No one took the Panthers very seriously after they combined for four wins over the previous two seasons, but it’s hard to deny what coach Dell McGee has done so far this season. The Panthers are 4-1 overall and 1-0 in league play, and it doesn’t look like a ﬂuky start. Georgia State is leading the league in total offense and total defense. The Dukes are 5-0 in the series, although last year’s win was only 14-7. Even a competitive game would open some eyes, and James Madison beat Georgia Southern by only a ﬁeld goal last week. Then there are the Ragin’ Cajuns. After suffering a heartbreaking 32-31 loss in Ruston last week, the Cajuns return home to meet the reigning West champion Troy Trojans. It’s hard to imagine the Cajuns suffering a second league loss and still making it to the Sun Belt championship game.

STAFF PhOTO BY BRAD KEmP

UL wide receiver Russell Babineaux, left, and the Ragin’ Cajuns are hoping to avoid a second conference loss against Troy on Saturday.

4. Georgia State

Record: 4-1, 1-0 Last week: Open date This week: at James Madison, 11 a.m. ESPNU Extra points: The rubber is about to meet the road for Georgia State. The Panthers have come out of nowhere to threaten being a contender in the Sun Belt East. The only loss is a competitive one at Central 1. James Madison Florida. We’re about to find out how serious Georgia State is about this Record: 6-0, 3-0 Sun Belt Last week: Defeated Georgia Cinderella thing. The Panthers are No. 4 in Sun Belt rushing defense, Southern 27-24 This week: vs. Georgia State, 11 and it will need to neutralize James Madison running back George a.m. ESPNU Extra points: James Madison still Pettway. Both offenses are top two looks like the class of the Sun in the Sun Belt in points scored. Belt, but last week’s performance suggests the gap might 5. UL not be as wide. The Dukes were Record: 4-2, 1-1 outgained 465-438 at Georgia Last week: Lost at Louisiana Tech Southern and were limited to 32-31 5 of 16 on third downs. DefenThis week: vs. Troy, 4 p.m. ESPN+ Extra points: The worry going into sively, the Dukes gave up 343 yards and three touchdowns last week’s trip to Ruston was how passing to Max Johnson. The the defense would handle the loss difference was owning a plus- of safety Collin Jacob. That contwo turnover edge against the cern proved to be accurate with Eagles. Tech throwing for 338 yards. The Cajuns will face another capable 2. Louisiana Tech quarterback Saturday, so progress in that area is critical. The offense Record: 3-2, 1-0 left too much on the table, despite Last week: Defeated UL 32-31 This week: at UL-Monroe, 7 p.m. posting a healthy 31 points. The loss of receiver Landon Strother ESPN+ Extra points: Things weren’t doesn’t help the Cajuns’ cause. looking great for most of Saturday’s Sun Belt debut against 6. Georgia Southern UL, but quarterback Blake BakRecord: 3-4, 2-1 Last week: Lost to James Madison er’s passing and rushing helped Tech overcome two double- 27-24 This week: Defeated Old Dominion digit deficits. UL had no answer for Baker, who threw for 319 23-15 on Thursday Extra points: On Thursday, quarteryards and three touchdowns, including a pair to tight end Eli back Max Johnson suffered an inFinley. The Cajuns did expose jury after a 6-of-8 passing start and the Tech defense with success backup Turner Holton responded to in the deep passing game. the challenge by throwing for 199 yards and a touchdown on 23-of3. Troy 30 passing. Defensively, Georgia Southern limited ODU running Record: 3-2, 1-0 Last week: Defeated Southern back Devin Roche to 25 yards on 15 carries. The Eagles owned the time Miss 55-34 This week: at UL, 4 p.m. ESPN+ of possession by 13 more minutes Extra points: The Troy offense to overcome going 3 of 12 on third has to be supremely confident down. after posting 33 first downs and 662 total yards in last week’s 7. South Alabama blowout of Southern Miss. Troy Record: 4-2, 2-0 also was able to get extra rest Last week: Defeated Arkansas State since that game occurred on 56-49 Tuesday, Oct. 6. The Troy deThis week: Open date Extra points: Most of the talk in the fense did give up 30 first downs and 391 yards passing to the Sun Belt West has revolved around Golden Eagles. The Trojans Troy, Louisiana Tech and UL. After are riding veteran quarterback enjoying an open date this weekGoose Crowder, and he’s deliv- end, the Jaguars will have a great opportunity to make a statement ering in a big way.

CAJUNS

Continued from page 5C lack of focus this week.” Troy comes to town 3-2 overall and 1-0 in league play after dismantling Southern Miss 55-34 last week. The Trojans are ranked fourth in total offense in the Sun Belt at 429.8 yards per game, led by veteran quarterback Goose Crowder, who has thrown for 1,047 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s also run for 219 yards and two scores. “He’s got a lot of arm talent,” Desormeaux said. “He can make all the throws. You add his ability to run, and it’s a scary thing because he can get out and hurt you

with his legs.” Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this matchup is Troy leads the Sun Belt in rushing yards (236.2 per game) while UL leads the league in rushing defense (100.7). Like UL, the Troy backfield is balanced with Gavin Grifﬁn (69337, 1 TD), Jaheim Merriweather (50-281, 4 TDs) and Jordan Lovett (44-254, 1 TD). “I think they do a really good job up front covering it all up,” Desormeaux said. “Their O-line plays really vertical. They kind of shut down the movement a little bit, which we’ve been moving our front quite a bit. They do a good job of shutting it down. I think their backs are really patient. They’ve got really good play strength.” The recent return of defensive

SUN BELT POWER RANKINGS about how serious of a contender they are. It’ll start against Marshalll, but then South Alabama will play Louisiana Tech, UL and Troy. We’ll ﬁnd out in a hurry how real the 2-0 league start is moving forward.

point win over Marshall kept the Chanticleers’ hopes in the East race alive. Coastal will have to prove the win wasn’t all turnover-induced. Marshall was minus-five in the game, including three interceptions in the ﬁrst half. Coastal was only 3 of 13 on third downs. Dominic Lee-Knicely did have a good game on the ground with 175 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.

8. Arkansas State

12. Old Dominion

Record: 2-4, 0-2 Last week: Lost to South Alabama 56-49 This week: at Southern Miss, 6 p.m. ESPN+ Extra points: The Red Wolves’ chances of winning the Sun Belt West are gone with an 0-2 start. But with the way transfer quarterback Trey Owens has been throwing the ball in recent weeks, don’t be surprised if Arkansas State plays a spoiler. We’ll soon ﬁnd out if the Red Wolves are more angry than discouraged after the 0-2 start in league play.

Record: 2-5, 1-3 Last week: Defeated Appalachian State 10-3 This week: Lost to Georgia Southern 23-15 on Thursday Extra points: We’ve got to dismiss much of ODU’s 10-3 road win over App State in a driving rainstorm last week. On Thursday, things didn’t go nearly as well at home against Georgia Southern, trailing 23-7 in the third quarter. After rushing for 105 yards at App State, Devin Roche was limited to 25 yards in this one. Both quarterbacks, Ryan Huff and Quinn Henicle, failed to ﬁnd much success.

9. Appalachian State Record: 3-2, 0-1 Last week: Lost to Old Dominion 10-3 This week: at Coastal Carolina, Friday (n) Extra points: Just when it looked like the Mountaineers might be a true contender in the East, last week’s monsoon happened and apparently they aren’t mudders. The offense managed only nine ﬁrst downs and 158 total yards in the loss. Malachi Singleton went from 300-plus passing yards regularly to going 5-of-23 passing for 72 yards.

10. Marshall Record: 3-3, 0-2 Last week: Lost to Coastal Carolina 27-21 This week: Open date Extra points: It’s hard to imagine the Herd having a worse ﬁrst half than last week, going down 27-0 at halftime. Quarterback Carlos Del RioWilson threw three interceptions in the ﬁrst half and was benched. Backup Zion Turner led a comeback with 21 points in the second half on 18-of-27 passing for 219 yards and two scores. It appears the Herd have more questions than answers during their bye week.

13. Southern Miss Record: 1-4, 0-1 Last week: Lost at Troy 55-34 This week: vs. Arkansas State, 6 p.m. ESPN+ Extra points: The Golden Eagles got extra rest to ponder exactly how bad their defense was in the blowout loss to Troy. The Trojans collected 33 ﬁrst downs and 662 total yards. Most of that was on the ground, but this week Southern Miss will face more of a passing threat against the Red Wolves. On paper, it’ll be a better matchup for Southern Miss, which is last against the run but No. 5 in the Sun Belt against the pass.

14. UL-Monroe

Record: 0-5, 0-1 Last week: Open date This week: vs. Louisiana Tech, 7 p.m. ESPN+ Extra points: The ULM defense is ranked dead last in the Sun Belt in pass defense at 268.2 yards a game. Tech quarterback Blake Baker is coming off a home win over UL in which he passed for 319 yards and three touchdowns. If pure desire means anything, ULM will play much closer than most are expecting with more hatred for the Bull11. Coastal Carolina dogs than it has for the Ragin’ CaRecord: 2-4, 1-1 juns. The good side of the matchup Last week: Defeated Marshall 27-21 for ULM is the Warhawks are no This week: vs. Appalachian State, longer struggling to throw the ball Friday (n) and the Tech defense is susceptible Extra points: Holding on for a six- to the deep passing game.

tackle Brodrick Stewart is a boon for the Cajuns. “He’s playing better and better every week, man,” Desormeaux said of Stewart. “He’s getting in the right spots. Brodrick, I’m really pleased with his progress right now.” Much of UL’s formula for victory falls on the shoulders of quarterback Lunch Winﬁeld, who is coming off a disappointing game with a fumble and two interceptions. “We’ve got to move on,” offensive coordinator Tim Leger said. “He’s a great leader. He’s a natural competitor. I just hope he doesn’t try to press himself into playing to make up for it all at one time. “I know he wants (to bounce back), and he will. He’ll play good. He’ll be the reason we win a bunch of games going forward.”

Most of UL’s nine fumbles this season have been by the running backs, so it remains a high priority for that unit. The other big question mark entering the game is the UL pass defense, which has struggled since the injury to safety Collin Jacob. “We didn’t cover great (at Tech),” Desormeaux said. “In man coverage, we had too many times where we were way too loose in coverage. That’s something we haven’t been doing. We played tight coverage and made people earn it. “In zone, I think they hit some really tight windows. There were some where we were, we’re not in the right landmarks, and we’re not in the right spots, you’re leaving somebody open. We’ve just got to tighten up.”

8C ● Saturday, October 17, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

lll

SCOREBOARD Hole-in-one

College Football Saturday

Aaron Brooks

Course: The University Club Hole: No. 16 Yardage: 109 yards Club: 9 wood Witnesses: Cullen Dupuy, Greg Morgan, Ken Calongne

Prep volleyball Area volleyball results

Episcopal of Acadiana def. Rayne 3-0 Westminster def. Notre Dame 3-0 Catholic-NI def. Franklin 3-0 Loreauville def. Centerville 3-0 Eunice def. Abbeville 3-0 Elton def. Crowley 3-2 Carencro def. Port Barre 3-0 Sam Houston def. North Vermilion 3-0 Teurlings def. Parkview Baptist 3-0 Carencro def. Acadiana Christian 3-2 Ascension Episcopal def. Westminster-LAF 3-0 Northside Christian def. Vermilion Catholic 3-0 Breaux Bridge def. St. Martinville 3-2 Iota def. Sam Houston 3-1 Rayne def. Northside 3-0 Livonia def. Northwest 3-0 Lake Charles Prep def. Opelousas 3-0 Acadiana Renaissance def. David Thibodaux 3-0 Beau Chene def. Lafayette Renaissance 3-0 St. Thomas More def. Cecilia 3-0 Teurlings def. Westgate 3-0 Lafayette def. Acadiana 3-1 Sulphur def. New Iberia 3-0 Southside def. Barbe 3-2 Teurlings 25-25-25, Westgate 9-9-4 Iota 25-22-25-25, Sam Houston 16-25-24-18 Teurlings 25-25-25, Parkview 21-17-19

Monday’s Schedule

Port Barre at Acadiana, Notre Dame at St. Thomas More, Alexandria at Church Point, Eunice at South Beauregard, Rayne at Sacred Heart, North Vermilion at LaGrange, Lafayette Christian at Opelousas Catholic, Hanson at Loreauville, Highland Baptist at Vermilion Catholic, Acadiana Christina at Morgan City.

Prep football Acadiana Renaissance Charter 43, McMain 8 Albany 28, Loranger 20 Alexandria 48, Pineville 10 Amite 42, Independence 6 Baker 37, Belaire 6 Brother Martin 36, John Curtis Christian 28 Captain Shreve 40, Natchitoches Central 27 Crowley 26, Mamou 12 DeRidder 31, South Beauregard 21 Easton 22, East Jefferson 6 Grand Lake 49, Merryville 12 H.L. Bourgeois 53, General Trass (Lake Providence) 2 Higgins 21, Haynes Academy 6 Jennings 48, Westlake 7 Lafayette Christian Academy 43, Franklin 6 Lake Arthur 42, Kinder 0 Lake Charles College Prep 39, Sterlington 38 Oakdale 28, Elton 24 Ouachita Christian 65, Lincoln Preparatory School 12 Patrick Taylor 27, Landry/Walker 26 Plaquemine 55, Tara 0 Rayne 26, LaGrange 0 Sacred Heart 49, North Central 14 South Terrebonne 37, Assumption 29 Sumner 48, Bogalusa 12

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY at TEXAS 9½ 11½ at KANS ST 8½ 3½ at WEST VA 2½ 1½ at J. MADSN 10½ 10½ at B. GREEN 8½ 6½ at SMU 6½ 9½ Pittsburgh 6½ 6½ Ohio State 1½ 3 at ARMY 3½ 2 at LSU 10½ 16½ Northwestrn 7½ 7½ at CLEMSN 43½ 42½ at MARYLND 4½ 5½ at TEMPLE 23½ 20½ at TX A&M 44½ 45½ at BUFFALO 3½ 7 W. Michigan 8½ 7 at MICHIGAN 6½ 6½ at VA TECH 8½ 8½ Alabama 1½ 7½ at MIA (OH) 9½ 9½ at DUKE 4½ 3 at AIR FORCE 3 1½ at OLE MISS 7½ 5½ at GEORGIA 16½ 19½ Toledo 6½ 6½ at WYOMING 8½ 7½ at TX TECH 12½ 15½ Tulsa 3 4½ at UL 3½ 3 at ORGN ST 13½ 18½ at S. FLA 18½ 20½ at VANDER 6½ 6 at MIA (FL) 16½ 20½ at BAYLOR 6½ 5½ Arkansas St. 6½ 6½ at NDSU 14½ 14½ at UCLA 3 2½ Notre Dame 10½ 10½ Louisville 12½ 14½ at STANFRD 32½ 35½ at HOUSTON 2½ 4½ at OKLAH 6½ 6½ at UTSA 7 6½ La Tech 14½ 15½ San Jose St 10 6½ Ohio 13½ 15½ Utah 13½ 14½ Fresno State 8½ 7½ Wake Forest 8½ 10 New Mexico 17½ 14½ at OREGON 7½ 6½

O/U UNDERDOG (51½) Florida (55½) Kansas (63½) Cincinnati (57½) Georgia St (47½) Ball State (51½) Virginia (43½) at B. COLL (50½) at INDIANA (55½) Florida Atl (57½) Miss St. (50½) at MSU (58½) C. Southern (56½) Rutgers (46½) Charlotte (57½) Citadel (42½) UMass (43½) at C. MICH (42½) Penn State (56½) Ga Tech (50½) at TENN (46½) Akron (46½) N. Carolina (48½) UNLV (58½) Missouri (50½) Auburn (52½) at E. MICH (41½) N. Illinois (50½) Arizona St. (46½) at RICE (49½) Troy (52½) Wash State (45½) Kent State (50½) Arkansas (56½) Florida St. (48½) TCU (62½) at S. MISS (42½) Nevada (43½) Wisconsin (46½) at BYU (55½) at SYRACSE (56½) Elon (62½) Oklah St (43½) Kentucky (55½) Navy (56½) at ULM (45½) at UTEP (47½) at SAC ST (49½) at COLRDO (46½) at SDSU (53½) at CAL (44½) at HAWAII (51½) Nebraska

MLB UNDERDOG Tampa Bay

LINE OFF

UNDERDOG New Jersey at WINNIPEG Vancouver Seattle San Jose Buffalo N.Y Islanders N.Y Rangers at PHILA at CHICAGO at NASHVILLE Boston Pittsburgh Edmonton

LINE +104 +149 +290 +156 +110 +120 +119 +112 +120 +158 -107 +117 +188 +120

NHL LINE -126 -185 -383 -192 -134 -146 -144 -136 -147 -195 -115 -143 -238 -147

Pro basketball

Odds

WNBA Playoff Glance

Sports Betting Line NFL

(Best-of-5)

Sunday

(x-if necessary) Finals No. 2 Golden State vs. No. 4 Atlanta

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY at JAX 1½ 2½ Pittsburgh 1½ 2½ Chicago 3 1½ at IND 3½ 6½ Baltimore 7 3 New Orleans 2½ 1½ Carolina 6½ 3½ at NE 9½ 7½ at RAMS 13½ 12½ Buffalo 6½ 4½ at K.C. 2½ 7½ at GREEN BAY 3 1½

O/U UNDERDOG (42½) Houston (39½) at TAMPA (52½) at ATLANTA (44½) Tennessee (39½) at CLE (46½) at GIANTS (39½) at PHILA (43½) NY Jets (51½) Arizona (53½) at VEGAS (41½)LA Chargers (53½) Dallas

FAVORITE OPEN TODAY at SAN FRAN 5½ 7½

O/U UNDERDOG (51½) Wash

Monday

Buffalo New England N.Y. Jets Miami

W 4 3 2 0

L 1 2 3 5

T 0 0 0 0

Pct PF PA .800 164 141 .600 110 94 .400 93 96 .000 70 132

Jacksonville Indianapolis Houston Tennessee

W 4 2 1 0

L 1 3 4 5

T 0 0 0 0

Pct PF PA .800 123 70 .400 124 138 .200 110 112 .000 58 109

Baltimore Cleveland Pittsburgh Cincinnati

W 4 3 3 3

L 1 2 2 2

T 0 0 0 0

Pct PF PA .800 146 119 .600 93 112 .600 111 109 .600 128 109

Kansas City Denver Las Vegas L.A. Chargers

W 4 4 3 0

L 0 2 2 5

T Pct PF PA 0 1.000 118 77 0 .667 114 125 0 .600 132 129 0 .000 84 129

N.Y. Giants Philadelphia Dallas Washington

W 3 2 2 1

L 1 3 3 3

T 1 0 0 1

Pct PF PA .700 109 106 .400 92 112 .400 138 136 .300 115 149

Carolina Atlanta Tampa Bay New Orleans

W 2 2 1 1

L 2 3 4 4

T 0 0 0 0

Pct .500 .400 .200 .200

PF PA 121 109 119 122 100 112 118 151

Minnesota Green Bay Detroit Chicago

W 5 3 3 3

L 0 2 2 2

T Pct 0 1.000 0 .600 0 .600 0 .600

PF PA 109 64 104 112 164 148 119 96

San Francisco Seattle L.A. Rams Arizona

W 5 3 2 1

L 0 3 3 4

T Pct 0 1.000 0 .500 0 .400 0 .200

PF PA 154 93 148 122 119 120 108 162

South

North

West

NATIONAL CONFERENCE East

South

North

West

Thursday’s Games Sunday’s Games

Saturday

FAVORITE at WASH Carolina at TAMPA BAY at FLORIDA at DETROIT at MONTREAL at TORONTO at COLUMBUS Ottawa Dallas St. Louis at LOS ANGLES at VEGAS at UTAH

East

Denver 17, Seattle 14, OT

American League FAVORITE LINE at CLEVELAND OFF

Saturday

NFL Glance AMERICAN CONFERENCE

Saturday, October 17: Atlanta at Golden State, 2:30 p.m. Monday, October 19: Atlanta at Golden State, 7 p.m. Wednesday, October 21: Golden State at Atlanta, 7 p.m. Saturday, October 24: Golden State at Atlanta, noon x-Monday, October 26: Atlanta at Golden State, TBA x-Thursday, October 29: Golden State at Atlanta, TBA x-Saturday, October 31: Atlanta at Golden State, TBA

Pro football

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

Monday’s Games

Washington at San Francisco, 7:15 p.m.

Late Thursday Denver 17, Seattle 14, OT

Seattle 3 0 0 11 0 — 14 Denver 0 14 0 0 3 — 17 First Quarter Sea_FG Myers 55, 6:31. Second Quarter Den_Dobbins 4 run (Lutz kick), 12:52. Den_Harvey 1 run (Lutz kick), 5:15. Fourth Quarter Sea_Holani 1 run (Shaheed pass from Darnold), 5:41. Sea_FG Myers 34, :03. First Overtime Den_FG Lutz 53, 4:53.

A_76,973.

First downs Total Net Yards Rushes-yards Passing Punt Returns Kickoff Returns Interceptions Ret. Comp-Att-Int Sacked-Yards Lost Punts Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards Time of Possession INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Sea 24 353 26-113 240 4-52 3-77 0-0 27-51-2 5-38 5-43.4 2-1 7-75 35:38

Den 13 168 28-74 94 1-11 2-48 2-0 17-27-0 2-13 8-49.375 1-0 8-42 29:29

RUSHING_Seattle, Wilson 14-52, V.Jones 4-20, Holani 5-20, Darnold 2-19, Shaheed 1-2. Denver, Dobbins 17-41, Harvey 6-25, Badie 1-6, Nix 4-2. PASSING_Seattle, Darnold 27-51-2-278. Denver, Nix 17-27-0-107. RECEIVING_Seattle, Smith-Njigba 12-134, Shaheed 5-66, Kupp 5-50, Barner 3-16, Horton 1-13, V.Jones 1-(minus 1). Denver, Waddle 4-24, Harvey 3-31, Dobbins 3-5, Sutton 2-19, Engram 2-13, Mims 2-13, Franklin 1-2. MISSED FIELD GOALS_Seattle, Myers 47.

Major League Baseball MLB Postseason Glance American League

22 24 28 23 16

22 30 28 27 21

Carolina N.Y. Rangers Washington New Jersey N.Y. Islanders Pittsburgh Columbus Philadelphia

GP W L OT Pts GF 8 6 1 1 13 31 9 6 3 0 12 28 7 4 3 0 8 24 7 4 3 0 8 23 7 3 3 1 7 20 7 3 3 1 7 25 5 2 3 0 4 16 9 0 6 3 3 11

GA 19 21 22 23 17 22 21 33

Metropolitan Division

2 1 2 1 2

10 9 8 7 6

GP W L OT Pts GF 8 6 2 0 12 31 8 5 2 1 11 26 7 4 1 2 10 21 7 4 2 1 9 31 7 3 3 1 7 25 7 3 3 1 7 16 7 2 2 3 7 18 8 3 5 0 6 21

Utah Minnesota Winnipeg Colorado St. Louis Dallas Nashville Chicago

(TBS, TruTV, HBO Max)

Cleveland 2, Tampa Bay 1

Monday, Oct. 12: Game 1: Cleveland 7, Tampa Bay 3 Tuesday, Oct. 13: Game 2: Tampa Bay 3, Cleveland 1 Thursday, Oct. 15: Game 3: Cleveland 3, Tampa Bay 2 Friday, Oct. 16: Game 4: Tampa Bay at Cleveland, n Saturday, Oct. 17: Game 5: Tampa Bay at Cleveland, 8 p.m. x-Monday, Oct. 19: Game 6: Cleveland at Tampa Bay, 8 p.m. x-Tuesday, Oct. 20: Game 7: Cleveland at Tampa Bay, 8 p.m.

GA 21 20 21 22 23 13 22 32

Paciﬁc Division

National League Milwaukee 4, Los Angeles Dodgers 0

Sunday, Oct. 11: Game 1: Milwaukee 2, Los Angeles Dodgers 1 Monday, Oct. 12: Game 2: Milwaukee 7, Los Angeles Dodgers 4 Wednesday, Oct. 14: Game 3: Milwaukee 6, Los Angeles Dodgers 2 Thursday, Oct. 15: Game 4: Milwaukee 6, Los Angeles Dodgers 4

Late Thursday Milwaukee 6, L.A. Dodgers 4 Milwaukee

Los Angeles ab r h bi ab r h bi Chourio lf 5 0 0 0 Ohtani dh 4 1 1 3 Turang 2b 2 1 0 0 Betts ss 3 0 0 0 Contreras c 3 1 1 0 Freeman 1b 3 0 0 0 Bauers 1b 3 0 1 3 Smith c 4 0 1 0 Yelich dh 4 0 0 0 Tucker rf 4 1 2 0 Mitchell cf 4 1 1 1 T.Hernández lf 4 1 1 0 Pratt ss 4 0 0 0 Rojas 2b 0 0 0 0 Frelick rf 3 1 0 0 Muncy ph-3b 3 0 1 0 Hamilton 3b 4 2 2 2 Edman ph 1 0 0 0 Pages cf 4 1 2 1 E.Hrnándz 2b 3 0 0 0 Totals 32 6 5 6 Totals 33 4 8 4 Milwaukee 000 221 001 — 6 Los Angeles 040 000 000 — 4 E_Frelick (1). DP_Milwaukee 1, Los Angeles 0. LOB_Milwaukee 4, Los Angeles 5. 2B_Contreras (1), Bauers (1), Tucker (2), Pages (1), Smith (2). HR_Mitchell (2), Hamilton (1), Ohtani (1). SB_Frelick (1), Hamilton (3). S_E. Hernández (1). IP H R ER BB SO Milwaukee Drohan 1 1 1 1 2 1 May 3 4 3 3 0 1 Romero W,2-0 2 1 0 0 0 3 Ashby S,2-2 3 2 0 0 0 3 Los Angeles 3 4 4 2 6 Glasnow 4 1⁄3 1 ⁄3 0 0 0 2 0 Phillips 1 ⁄3 0 0 0 1 0 Vesia BS,0-1 Scott L,0-1 1 1 1 1 0 2 Díaz 3 1 1 1 0 2 Drohan pitched to 1 batter in the 2nd. ABS Challenge_Ohtani (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Muncy (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Glasnow (Ball-Conﬁrmed); Hernández (Strike-Overturned to Ball); Ohtani (StrikeOverturned to Ball); Ashby (Ball-Conﬁrmed). Umpires_Home, Ryan Additon; First, David Rackley; Second, John Tumpane; Third, Edwin Moscoso; Right, Mark Wegner; Left, Chris Segal. T_2:59. A_49,104 (56,000).

Hockey NHL Glance EASTERN CONFERENCE GP W L OT Pts GF 8 6 2 0 12 23 7 5 2 0 10 26 7 5 2 0 10 21

4 2 4 3 3 3 3 3 2 3

Central Division

(Best-of-7)

Ottawa Boston Tampa Bay

8 8 8 7 7

WESTERN CONFERENCE

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

Atlantic Division

Florida Buffalo Toronto Montreal Detroit

GP W L OT Pts GF GA Vegas 9 7 2 0 14 36 22 Edmonton 7 5 1 1 11 31 22 Seattle 8 5 2 1 11 32 23 Anaheim 6 4 2 0 8 20 17 San Jose 7 4 3 0 8 19 25 Vancouver 9 2 6 1 5 28 41 Los Angeles 5 0 3 2 2 11 21 Calgary 7 1 6 0 2 14 35 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. Top three teams in each division and two wild cards per conference advance to playoffs.

Thursday’s Games

New Jersey 7, N.Y. Rangers 1 Florida 3, Vancouver 2, OT Ottawa 2, N.Y. Islanders 1, SO Buffalo 5, Toronto 4, OT Tampa Bay 4, Seattle 3, OT Detroit 2, Philadelphia 1 Chicago 4, Winnipeg 3, OT Minnesota 5, St. Louis 4 San Jose 3, Nashville 2, SO Utah 4, Edmonton 2 Vegas 6, Calgary 2

Friday’s Games

Pittsburgh at Colorado, n Boston at Anaheim, n

Saturday’s Games

New Jersey at Washington, noon Carolina at Winnipeg, 2:30 p.m. Vancouver at Tampa Bay, 3 p.m. Seattle at Florida, 5 p.m. Buffalo at Montreal, 6 p.m. Dallas at Chicago, 6 p.m. N.Y. Islanders at Toronto, 6 p.m. N.Y. Rangers at Columbus, 6 p.m. Ottawa at Philadelphia, 6 p.m. San Jose at Detroit, 6 p.m. St. Louis at Nashville, 7 p.m. Boston at Los Angeles, 8 p.m. Edmonton at Utah, 9 p.m. Pittsburgh at Vegas, 9 p.m.

Transactions BASKETBALL

National Basketball Association BOSTON CELTICS — Re-signed G Payton Pritchard to a veteran extension. CHARLOTTE HORNETS — Waived G Pat Connaughton.

FOOTBALL

National Football League NFL — Removed Denver OLB Jonathon Cooper and Green Bay RB Josh Jacobs from the commissioner’s exempt list. CAROLINA PANTHERS — Activated RB Trevor Etienne from injured reserve. DETROIT LIONS — Placed LB Devin White, OL Ben Bartch and WR Tom Kennedy on injured reserve. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS — Released WR Darius Slayton. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS — Signed CB Jayden Price to the practice squad. Released OT Alan Herron from the practice squad. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES — Placed RB Will Shipley on injured reserve. Signed QB Joe Milton to the active roster.

HOCKEY

GA 20 16 19

National Hockey League DALLAS STARS — Placed F Oskar Back on injured reserve. FLORIDA PANTHERS — Loaned G Cooper Black to Charlotte (AHL). MINNESOTA WILD — Assigned D Carson Lambos to Iowa (AHL).

LCA explodes in second half to rout Franklin BY BRANDON COMEAUX

Contributing writer

The Lafayette Christian Academy Knights took the sting out of the Hornets as they used a strong second half to blow past Franklin 43-6 on Thursday night. “I’m proud of the way our team competed, especially because we were on fall break and not in school until today,” LCA coach Matt Standiford said. “And it was our ﬁrst Thursday game. I thought our kids responded in such a great way.” The game started out well for the Hornets, though, when sophomore quarterback Dylan Hawkins found senior wide receiver Jahiri Perry

for a 69-yard touchdown pass only 1:13 into the ball game. From that point on, though, it was all LCA. The Knights responded by converting on fourth-and-5 from the 8. Junior running back Kyzir White plowed his way into the end zone and tied the score at 6-6. The score would stay tied until early in the second quarter when junior wide receiver Kaden Ledet caught a screen pass and went 29 yards for the score. The Knights then built on their 13-6 lead when senior defensive end Josh Wilson caused a safety. Wilson finished the game with seven tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles.

In the third quarter, Ledet struck again, taking the opening kickoff of the second half 82 yards for a touchdown, giving LCA a 22-6 lead, a play Standiford said “spark(ed) us in the second half.” Senior quarterback Ty Hills would go on to throw three more touchdown passes — two of them to sophomore wide receiver Micah Whitlock and the other to junior wide receiver Tristen Jones — to round out the scoring for the Knights. “For the ﬁrst two quarters, we were all out of sync,” Hills said. “At halftime, though, we made some adjustments. I just have to trust my arm and go out there and deliver the ball.”

Beau Chene volleyball nails down another win BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributing writer

The Beau Chene High School volleyball team has been busier than any other program in Louisiana. The Division II No. 10 Gators (24-9), who have played the most matches in the state, claimed a 25-21, 25-20, 25-11 sweep on Thursday at Lafayette Renaissance. “I walked into a gold mine,” said coach Kristen Sturlese, who is in her first year at the school. “We have seven seniors. I call them ‘the well-oiled machine.’ I didn’t have to do much ... just a little refining.” Among those seniors is Victoria Noel, a dual-sport star in basketball who served the final three points of the third set against the Tigers (11-12)

with two aces that closed out the contest. “The energy, the grit, the hustle,” Noel said of the catalyst for her team. “You just have to go after it.” The Gators, who keep their rotation fresh by going 12-deep, feature the insideoutside punch of Noel and Sydnie Comeaux. “Our goal is to make it to the Dome for the ﬁrst time,” Sturlese said of reaching the state tournament at the Cajundome. “Hopefully we can do that. The girls have had four coaches in four years. “They just needed someone who cares and wants to ﬁght for them. That’s what I think I’m doing.” The Gators have two setters in Arden Ridgeway and Isabelle Taylor, who combined for 22 assists. Arden’s

twin sister, Edyn, is the libero. In the third set, Arden served three consecutive aces. Alyssa Devillier (seven digs) is another excellent server for the Gators, who tallied 15 aces, led by Noel’s ﬁve. “I have a really nice back row,” Sturlese said. “They’re really good diggers. I feel like their chemistry is amazing.” Ryle Spurgeon and Gracie Fontenot finished with five and seven digs. Comeaux had seven kills, with Kylie Lemelle, Journey Gradney and Gabrielle Jones chipping in four, three and two apiece. Noel led with eight kills and four blocks. Jazmine Duplechain added a block. “I love it,” Noel said. “Blocking, getting a nice kill, the energy afterwards. It’s amazing. Nothing can equal it.”

Hills had his best game as a Knight, completing 13 of 20 passes for 182 yards and four touchdowns. “Ty did a great job and settled in,” Standiford said. “People are going to look at how he played tonight and may be be a little surprised, but it’s what we’ve seen in practice, especially the last couple of weeks.” “I want to thank my coaches for pushing me,” said Whitlock, who took advantage of his opportunity to get more playing time Thursday night. “They’ve been telling me all week that if I grind during the week, then it’ll pay off on game day, and they were right.” And, on defense, senior lineback-

er Kaleb Simon returned after missing last week’s win over West St. Mary with an injury to lead the team with 16 tackles, three tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. “We came out healthy, and we will be ready to go next week against a really good Loreauville team,” Standiford said. “We can’t be complacent,” said Hills as the Knights begin a threegame stretch against Loreauville, Delcambre and Catholic of New Iberia to close out the regular season. “We’ve got to be able to dominate at all levels, not just defensively. We have to execute on offense, mainly in the passing game, to go along with our rushing attack.”

YEARS

11 teams. 6 conferences. 1 state.

TODAY•10AM & 10:30AM and also streaming at www.lpb.org/gamenotes

KLPB 24

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LIVING

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

S at u r d ay, O c t O b e r 17, 2026

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Ogden Park Prowl returns to showcase community BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

When Blythe E. Johnson attended the Ogden Park Prowl in 2019, she and her husband were convinced to move to the Mid City neighborhood from Shenandoah. She said they knew they wanted to be part of the diverse and artistic community. The neighborhood is gearing up for this year’s Ogden Park Prowl, scheduled for 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 24 on the eight blocks between Ogden Drive and Acadian Thruway, speciﬁcally the cross streets of Bedford, Hearthstone, Beverly and Wilshire. The free Mid City neighborhood festival near Government Street includes a collection of open houses and yards featuring artists, entertainment and food. The Prowl was a standing neighborhood party during the 2010s, but it ended during the pandemic. Last year, Johnson and other Mid City volunteers resurrected the Prowl. “I’m really excited it’s back,” Johnson said. “As soon as we wrapped up last year, we had vendors and neighbors asking if we were going to continue it. I’m hoping it continues to grow and become what it used to be.” Johnson spearheaded the block festival last year, but this year, she is assisting Justin Lemoine, the deputy assistant secretary for the Louisiana Ofﬁce of Cultural Development, who is taking over. “My favorite thing about this is that it’s organized by residents of the neighborhood,” Lemoine said. “Some are artists, some are not. It’s all people that are just genuinely interested in the community-building aspect of putting on a street festival like this.” The event is not a money maker, Lemoine said, but an event to build community. All of the money goes into putting on the free festival. Lemoine, who is a landscape architect by trade, is part of Mid City Merchants and has helped

ä See PROWL, page 10C

Who is BARTENDER OF THE MONTH in BR? Cast your vote What constitutes a great bartender? You tell us. Nominate your favorite local bartender for the October bartender of the month. Think of the barkeeps at speakeasies, neighborhood bars or downtown restaurants and watering holes. Who comes to mind? What’s their specialty? Why do they stand out? To nominate, email madison.scott@ theadvocate.com by 4 p.m. Oct. 19 with the bartender’s name, where they work and why they deserve it. Include your name and phone number. The features team may follow up with questions.

The current LSU homecoming crown is designed by Lee michaels.

PROvIDED PhOTOS

The crown goes back.

The Story Doesn’t. As LSU gets a new homecoming queen, take a look back since 1960

BY JAN RISHER Staff writer

LSU homecoming queens may only wear the crown for one night in Tiger Stadium, but in other ways it stays with them for years to come. We surveyed former LSU homecoming queens to ask what the title meant then and what it means now. Their answers came back with the weather still in them. Meghan O’Hara Higgins, who now lives in Norfolk, Virginia, was crowned in 2005, the fall after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. When the announcer called her name, it didn’t register. “It was not until Brad Golson, the newly crowned king, put his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘Meghan, that is you — you are homecoming queen!’ that I realized what had happened,” she said. In 1992, a downpour hit just as Elizabeth “Liz” Harris Tremblay heard her name. That same year, she noticed the crown had been soldered back together more than

“It was a true honor to leave that gift behind for a university that enriched my life,” she said. The crown that replaced hers is being replaced, too. Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry, the Baton Rouge company that made the current crown in 2014, began working with the LSU Foundation in 2024 on a new crown and scepter, said Sara Whittaker, the foundation’s vice president of communications and marketing. Scott Berg, president of Lee Michaels, said the company wanted to become a bigger part of LSU traditions and the company thought that designing and making the homecrown and scepter was a Andree Braud Leddy was crowned coming perfect ﬁt. LSU homecoming queen in The new set is scheduled to debut October 1993. at homecoming in 2027. Until then, the foundation has turned the curonce. Tremblay, who now lives in rent crown and scepter into a funLafayette, designed a T-shirt to draising prize. The winning college raise money for a new crown and on campus gets to keep the crown worked with a New Orleans Mardi and scepter for a while. Gras designer to make it. Victoria Cooper, queen in 1998, She graduated before it was ﬁnä See QUEEN, page 10C ished.

Local Tex-Mex restaurant closes one location A lighting technician works on the neon sign at the Lee Drive location of Los Reyes mexican Grill. STAFF FILE PhOTO BY JOhN BALLANCE

BY MADDIE SCOTT Staff writer

Local Tex Mex restaurant Los Reyes just closed one of its locations on Lee Drive in Baton Rouge, according to a social media post from Monday. Located at 1072 W. Lee Drive, Los Reyes announced on Monday that it has closed doors permanently after three years of operation. The post encouraged

customers to visit the original location, which ﬁrst opened in 2017 at 11333 Coursey Blvd. “The memories aren’t going anywhere — and neither are the margaritas,” the post stated. The menu serves staples such as fajitas, enchiladas, quesadillas, dips, nachos and more. Some dishes fuse cuisines like the gyro tacos, gyro fajitas and

ä See CLOSURE, page 10C

10C ● Saturday, October 17, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

RELIGION BRIEFS FROM STAFF REPORTS

Usher anniversary at Freeman Baptist

Freeman Baptist Church, 4628 La. 955, Ethel, will celebrate its usher anniversary at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 25. The guest speaker will be the Rev. Michael Otkins, pastor of Sherman Baptist Church, Magnolia, Mississippi. The public is invited.

insight before heading to the polls in November. All qualified candidates were invited. Debate moderators will be Dezmion Barrow, Destiny Beasley and Johnny Jones. The event is free and open to the public. Live stream is available through Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church’s Vimeo, YouTube and Facebook.

District 6 debate at Shiloh Baptist

Celebration at Nathaniel Baptist

Prophetic Voices, a Baton Rouge coalition of concerned clergy and church groups, will host a Congressional debate for candidates vying for the District 6 seat. The debate will start at 7 p.m. Monday at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church. This event will provide voters an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates, be informed and gain

Nathaniel Baptist Church, 5032 Highway 33 South, Centreville, Mississippi, will host its Family & Friends Day celebration at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25. Special guests will be the Rev. Ronald Robertson and Capitol Missionary Baptist Church of Baton Rouge. The Rev. Robert L. Scott Jr., pastor-teacher, and the Nathaniel Baptist Church family invite all to attend.

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PROWL

Continued from page 9C put on Hot Art Cool Nights in May and White Light Nights in November. He was also part of the group that created the Mid City Makers Market, a monthly art market, for six years. These experiences gave him a wealth of knowledge to plan and execute this year’s Ogden Park Prowl. “We have support from all the businesses in Mid City,” Lemoine said. “French Truck, Time Warp, Red Cake Events, Elsie’s Plate and Pie, Pink Elephant, Rad Dad and others. Their help allows us to keep the costs low — just $35 — for vendors to sign up, so it’s very attainable for every kind of artist.” Artists and makers must sell original work or vintage wares. They are matched with hosts who provide their yard or house for the setup. The Prowl will include 55 vendors this year, such as Alchemy Apiary & Apothecary, Amanda Farris Art,

PROvIDED PhOTO

visitors at last year’s Ogden Park Prowl chat at a vendor’s table.

Amanda Morris, AMBA benefits, Birdhouse & Co., Capitol City Groomerie and Lux Spa, Catalyst Rouge Vintage & Curated Goods, Chloe Kindell, Emily Bailey, Evan Crocker Art, Girly Girls Bracelets and Godchild Jewelry. There’s no festival without food, and the food vendors will be out in full force on Oct. 24 for the festival, including Barracuda Taco Stand, Beaux Tie BBQ, Elsie’s Plate & Pie, Candace Moore, Em’s Bakery, Jeremy Krail Sourdough, Magic Vegan, Ninja Snowballs, Noble by the Pound, Puf Sweet, Email Joy Holden at joy. Rougaroux Capitol Bodega holden@theadvocate.com.

QUEEN

Continued from page 9C still lives in Baton Rouge and has the crown she was given to keep. Her one wish, she said, is a replica of the crown that was in rotation at the time. More than the crown, she thinks about Renée Boutte Myer, who in 1991 became LSU’s first Black homecoming queen. “Knowing her showed me that becoming homecoming queen was truly possible,” Cooper said. Olivia Smith Regard, queen in 1996, also lives in Lafayette. She has had years to think about what the honor asks of the women who hold it. “The experience taught me that being seen by others is both a privilege and a responsibility,” she said. Andree Braud Leddy, who lives in Alexandria, was LSU’s homecoming queen in 1993, a year that she says “kinda got lost” because LSU had no yearbook that year. The yearbook fee, she remembers, had been left off student fees. For more than 30 years, she and homecoming king Todd Monroe were missing from LSU’s list of homecoming royalty. Monroe finally got the record corrected last year, when his daughter was on the court. For Leddy, the title kept its meaning long before the record caught up. “It is definitely something I cherish and respect because with that ‘title’ you do in a way represent LSU,” she said. Tiger Stadium has grown up around these women. When Zizi de la Houssaye was crowned in 1960, the stadium held about 67,500 people. Since 2014, it has held more than 102,000. The crowd was already bigger than de la Houssaye could take in. “I could barely recognize myself as being singled out, and voted for by more people than I knew personally,” she said. The number in the stands may change, but the moment at midfield does not. A name rings out. The stadium roars, and a young woman in a borrowed crown starts a story she will likely still be telling at 85. Four of their stories follow.

Zizi de la Houssaye, 1960 Sixty-six years ago, de la Houssaye was crowned the homecoming queen at LSU. Today — retired and enjoying time with her three children, ﬁve grandchildren and one great-grandchild — de la Houssaye said that she found comfort in being chosen. She said that people didn’t necessarily treat her differently after she was named queen, but the experience taught her that people are innately kind, loving and generous. “People were always friendly to me, and I felt it more deeply after the excitement of the night,” she said. One thing she keeps with her is the memory of being

and Simple Joe Cafe. Entertainment for the Prowl includes the Louisiana Shakespeare Company, Shane Madere Jr., Katie Love, Okee Dokee Brothers, King Solomon, Tammy May Hromadka, Peter Simon and The Acousticrats. The family event will also highlight children’s activities with Beyond Gymnastics, East Baton Rouge Parish Library, Fire & Flow, Front Yard Bikes and the Kids Corner on Beverly and Wilshire. Parking is available at Catholic High School’s parking lot on Government Street and Baton Rouge Magnet High School’s parking lots around 2825 Government St. The streets will be closed in the Ogden Park neighborhood, and Lemoine is asking that people do not park in the Elise’s or Radio Bar parking lot. “We want to make sure it’s easy for our brick-andmortar businesses to get the support they normally get on the weekend,” Lemoine said.

Camille Faircloth Norem was crowned LSU’s homecoming queen in 2017.

PROvIDED PhOTOS

Twelve years ago, she founded Sideline Pass, a nonprofit that provides scholarships for academically excellent, but financially disadvantaged middle and high school girls in the greater New Orleans area. She’s adopted her niece, Dvazny Hale, who’s a 6-yearold kindergartner. “Enjoy every second!” Hale encourages this year’s queen and court. “Take advantage of every opportunity or appearance this honor Renée Boutte myer was crowned LSU homecoming queen in offers you. This will be a 1991 beside her father, Linward Boutte. year you’ll forever treasure and forever remember.” in LSU’s yearbook, Gumbo. year’s homecoming court — Judy Bergeron, The 85-year-old in Lake is to leave the stress behind features writer Charles noted that her being and enjoy the moment. Myer homecoming queen often lives by the golden rule — Camille Faircloth Norem, comes up during football treating others as you would 2017 season, and she sometimes like to be treated, with kindreveals that she was queen. ness and respect. Norem was crowned LSU’s “They are all amazed and “Stay humble and kind,” homecoming queen in 2017. happy for me, especially Myer said, “and appreciate “When they called my now that I am 85 years old the honor of representing name, I felt an overwhelmnow and hardly look like your community.” ing sense of pride and gratia queen,” she said. “I then — Maddie Scott, tude,” she said. “LSU had floor them by revealing that features writer already given me so much I was chosen Darling of LSU during my college years, Jen Hale, 1997 that year, too!” The darling is considered Hale was pulling double the most beautiful woman at duty on Sept. 27, 1997 — as LSU, she said. co-captain of the LSU cheerTo the future homecoming leaders and as a member of queen, de la Houssaye says the homecoming court. to “enjoy it to the max.” “So I cheered the first half — Lauren Cheramie, of the game up until the fivefeatures writer minute mark. I sprinted into the locker room to change Renée Boutte Myer, 1991 out of my uniform and into Myer was the first Black my suit,” Hale said. “I don’t woman crowned as LSU really remember my name homecoming queen. It was being called. I just remem1991, the same night of the ber my Delta Zeta sorority Edwin Edwards and David sisters and fellow cheerleadDuke gubernatorial runoff ers going crazy. That’s when election. On the field that I knew I had won. It was night, Myer felt a surreal such a special night!” rush of emotions. Hale, also crowned Miss “Disbelief, excitement, ap- LSU that year, still has a preciation, honor,” she said. small, keepsake version Tiger Stadium is still of her homecoming crown home to this day. She’s cur- along with a framed photo rently the assistant dean of capturing the moment. advocacy, collaboration and They sit on a bookcase next engagement at the LSU Col- to her LSU football helmet lege of Human Sciences and and national championship Education. When the memo- football. These days, the New Orry comes up in conversation, it’s usually recalled by fam- leans native, now 48, still ily, friends, work colleagues spends a great deal of time on the football field as a sideand students. She said it’s hard to de- line reporter for the NFL scribe the feeling of being on Fox (16 seasons) and an introduced midfield in Tiger NFL contributor for “Fox & Stadium. Her advice to this Friends” (five years).

and being chosen by my fellow students to represent a university I loved so much was truly an honor.” Norem said she still has the white suit from Chatta Box Boutique that she wore on the ﬁeld that night, along with her homecoming queen sash. “My in-laws have a condo near LSU’s campus, where they’ve hosted tailgates for every home football game for over 20 years,” she said. “The condo is filled with LSU memorabilia, and we’ve joked about framing my suit and sash in a shadowbox and hanging it on the wall like a retired football jersey.” Though she didn’t feel people treated her differently after she was crowned, Norem remembers her hometown of Pineville being proud of her. One of her favorite stories from that night involves her boyfriend at the time, Erick, who is now her husband. He was sitting with her parents during halftime. She said that her mother still laughs about how he was more nervous than anyone waiting for the announcement. “Apparently, he was so concerned about whether I would be crowned homecoming queen that he hardly paid attention to the football game,” she said. “Considering LSU ended up losing to Troy that night, maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing.” These days, Norem spends most of her time balancing life as a chiropractor, business owner, wife and mom. She is a fourth-generation chiropractor, now owner and operator of her family’s practice, Faircloth Chiropractic Clinic, in Alexandria. She and her husband are parents to two sons, Ivan, 2, and John Roy, 8 months. “We still spend most of our fall weekends in Baton Rouge cheering on the Tigers, and it’s been so special getting to share those traditions with our children,” she said. — Robin Miller, features writer

TODAY IN HISTORY By The Associated Press Today is Saturday, Oct. 17, the 290th day of 2026. There are 75 days left in the year. Today in history: On Oct. 17, 1989, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern California, killing 63 people and causing up to $10 billion worth of damage. Also on this date: In 1777, British forces under Gen. John Burgoyne surrendered to American troops in Saratoga, New York, in a turning point of the Revolutionary War. In 1931, mobster Al Capone was convicted in Chicago of income tax evasion; he would be sentenced to 11 years in prison, ﬁned $50,000 and ordered to pay back taxes. Capone was released in 1939. In 1933, Albert Einstein arrived in the United States as a refugee from Nazi Germany. In 1979, Mother Teresa of India was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1989, Game 3 of the World Series was canceled when the Loma Prieta earthquake struck Northern California just 30 minutes before the game was scheduled to begin at Candlestick Park in San Francisco; it would eventually be played 10 days later. In 2024, Israel announced its forces in Gaza killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of 2023’s Hamasled attack on southern Israel in which militants abducted 251 people and killed some 1,200 others, prompting Israel’s retaliatory war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in the small coastal strip. Today’s birthdays: Singer Gary Puckett is 84. Actor-musician Michael McKean is 79. Former astronaut Mae Jemison is 70. Country singer Alan Jackson is 68. Film director Rob Marshall is 66. Animator-ﬁlmmaker Mike Judge is 64. Reggae singer Ziggy Marley is 58. Musician Wyclef Jean is 57. Golf Hall of Famer Ernie Els is 57. Singer Chris Kirkpatrick (’N Sync) is 55. Rapper Eminem is 54. Actor Matthew Macfadyen is 52. Former race car driver Kimi Raikkonen is 47.

CLOSURE

Continued from page 9C hummamole, a blend of hummus and guacamole. Margaritas run in ﬂavors of strawberry, raspberry, mango, pomegranate, pina colada and sangria. Los Reyes, 11333 Coursey Blvd. is open daily 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

YEARS

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The Acadiana Advocate ● theadvocate.com ● Saturday, October 17, 2026 ● 11C

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zodIAC LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Poor behavior will turn into drama if you don't deal with situations swiftly. Ignoring problems won't solve them, but being direct, honest and willing to compromise will. scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Distance yourself from controversial discussions. You'll gain the most if you listen, but keep your thoughts to yourself. Look inward and ask yourself tough questions. sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Put your muscle behind your ideas and a budget in place, and you'll come up with a plan that allows you to lower your overhead and learn something that you can utilize to increase your earning potential. cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Take the high road when dealing with difficult individuals. Limit your words to what's necessary, considerate and helpful. Maintain your reputation using congeniality and kind gestures. AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Think twice before you say something you'll regret. Put your energy into what you can do to improve your life. Living in the past will stifle your ability to reach your personal, financial and emotional goals. PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Taking a pause to reassemble some of the chaos in your life will do you good. A chance to evaluate your health and financial well-being will encourage you to make lifestyle changes. ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Having mixed emotions can affect your performance. Open communication will help you deal with personal issues before matters spin

out of control. Shared expenses may be at the root of your problems. tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Stick to what's familiar and helpful. Surround yourself with people who share your lifestyle. Avoid costly entertainment or purchases you can do without. Focus on what and who you let occupy your time. GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Empower yourself by embracing the changes that excite you most. High energy and intuitive enthusiasm will help you turn your surroundings into your personal chill temple. cAncER (June 21-July 22) Choose to contribute your unique perspective on situations that need your attention, and follow through with hands-on help to ensure things unfold in the best way possible. Romance and socializing are highlighted. LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Tidy up loose ends. Learn as you go, and choose unique alternatives and options that you can adjust to your liking. A change to how you feel will alter your perspective regarding those you help or share life lessons with. VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Test your concepts before you share or try to further your agenda. Paying attention to detail is necessary before you implement change. A premature start will lead to backtracking. 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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beetLe bAILeY CeLebrItY CIpher Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

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SherMAn’S LAGoon FAMILY CIrCUS

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12C ● Saturday, October 17, 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 ● Saturday, October 17, 2026 ● 13C

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B.C.

Bridge By PHILLIP ALDER To end this week’s look at various suit fits, a wild deal in which each side has a double fit. A double fit (almost always) produces more tricks than the point-count would suggest. And if one side has a double fit, so does the other. The usual guideline in these deals is to declare. First, though, look only at the West hand. What would you lead against six hearts doubled after that exciting sequence? Once you have decided, study the full layout. What do you think of the auction? What is par — the result when both sides do as well as possible? If this deal were played at 10 tables, you would surely have 10 different auctions. First, East might jump straight to four spades. Although this risks missing a slam, it does make South’s life much harder. Here, if East did bid four spades, I guess South would compete with five diamonds. That would go back to East, who might suddenly be inconsistent, bidding six clubs. One minute, he is happy with game; the next, he is forcing to slam. In the given sequence, it is vital for South to bid five diamonds. When you know of a double fit, tell partner. North’s six-heart bid might turn a plus into a minus, but it avoids the risk of a big

garfield

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minus. Six hearts doubled is defeated by three tricks if East receives a diamond ruff and the defenders correctly cash their three black-suit tricks. Six spades will make if East guesses clubs correctly. The par result is seven diamonds doubled down three. © 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 — cARDInAL: KAR-dih-nul: A church official who ranks next

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below the pope. Average mark 22 words Time limit 50 minutes Can you find 38 or more words in CARDINAL? yEstERDAy’s WoRD — KEynotER keen keno keynote knee knot enter entry erne yoke yore note

noter teen teeny tenor tern token tone toner tony tore torn

tree trek trey troy tyro reek rent rote

loCKhorNs hidato Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

today’s thought “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn your statutes.” Psalms 119:71

Hard times can turn out to be a blessing. It reminds us to turn to God. — G.E. Dean

14C ● Saturday, October 17, 2026 ● theadvocate.com ● The Acadiana Advocate

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We did! On the new Acadiana Advocate app!

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