The Advocate 09-28-2025

NOTHING TO SEE

OleMiss cornerbackRicky Fletcher, right, covers the eyes of LSU wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr.tobreak up the pass near the end zone in the fourthquarterofSaturday’sgame at Vaught-HemingwayStadium in Oxford, Mississippi. LSUdropped itsfirst gameofthe season, falling 24-19toOle Miss. Theoffense sputtered through most of the afternoon The Tigerswere held to 254total yards, 16 first downs (compared to Ole Miss’ 28) and went 2-for-11onthird down. Theywere outgained by Ole Miss by more than 200 yards TheRebels haven’tlostathome to the Tigers sincethe 2019 season

ä SEE COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE TIGERS GAME. PAGE 1C

BY MARK BALLARD |Staff writer

WASHINGTON Amere decade ago, as an LSU law student, J. Benjamin Aguiñaga paced the parking lots around Tiger Stadium, going over legal arguments in his head.

Aguiñaga

“At some point between those evening walks andmyown moot court adventures, Ideveloped alove forbrief writing and oral advocacy.So, Iset out to try to build astrong résuméfor an appellate career,” AguiñagatoldThe Texas Lawbook, alaw firm publication, in 2022. He graduated from the PaulM.HebertLaw CenteratLSU in 2015. He quickly assembled aresume of clerkships with nationally prominent federal judges, including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. Then, in January 2024, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill named him the state’ssolicitor general. Now,at35years old, Aguiñagaisatthe center of several of the state’sfederal lawsuitsthatcould have seismic implications across the country,onissues ranging from gun control to abortion to voting rights.

“He called me out of the blue oneday,” Murrill said, adding that Aguiñaga is “a great writer” and came recommended by the judges he had worked for.

“Ifall three had picked him, then Ididn’tthink that all threecould be wrong,” she said. “That’sthe kind of person Iwas looking for to be solicitor general.” Aguiñagadeclinedtocomment forthis report.

As solicitor general, Aguiñaga represents Louisiana in federal appeals, handling

ä See LAWYER, page 6A Murrill

Statecontinues push to regulate pharmacy benefitmanagers

BY ALYSE PFEIL |Staff writer

Aspectacular political fight between state lawmakers backed by Gov.Jeff Landry and health care

giant CVS defined the final days of the Louisiana Legislature’sregular session this year At issue was theinfluence of the nation’slargest pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs,overthe prescriptiondrug market. Landry pressured lawmakers to limitthe companies’ control over the phar-

maceutical market in Louisiana by prohibiting PBMsfromowning pharmacies here. In response, CVS launcheda massive public lobbying campaign, sending text messages to customers saying thenew rule would force it to shut downover 100 pharmacies across thestate.

Landry’ssweeping proposal ultimately didnot pass. But Louisiana officials are still targeting the prescriptiondrug intermediaries on multiple fronts: taking acontract worthmillionsofdollarsaway from CVS and giving mostofthe business to aLouisiana company instead;pursuing three separate

lawsuits against CVS foralleged unfair trade practices; and continuing to explore more stringent regulations.

Landryhas continued to publicly criticize PBMs as “corporate profiteers” who game the system,

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Trump to meet with congressional leaders

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump plans to meet with the top four congressional leaders at the White House on Monday, one day before the deadline to fund the federal government or face a shutdown.

The meeting involving House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune as well as House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was confirmed Saturday by a White House official and two other people familiar with the planning. They were granted anonymity to discuss a meeting that has not been announced.

“President Trump has once again agreed to a meeting in the Oval Office. As we have repeatedly said, Democrats will meet anywhere, at any time and with anyone to negotiate a bipartisan spending agreement that meets the needs of the American people,” Schumer and Jeffries said in a joint statement on Saturday night. “We are resolute in our determination to avoid a government shutdown and address the Republican health care crisis. Time is running out.”

The meeting was first reported by Punchbowl News.

The parties have been in a standoff for days as Democrats, namely in the Senate, have refused to offer the necessary votes to pass a funding measure that would keep the government open beyond Tuesday Absent any action, a shutdown would begin at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday Democrats had secured a meeting with Trump until Republican leaders intervened and the president called it off. But Schumer spoke privately with Thune on Friday, pushing the majority leader to get a meeting with Trump scheduled because of the approaching funding deadline, according to an aide for Schumer

Stampede at political rally in India kills 36

NEW DELHI A stampede at a rally for a popular Indian actor and politician in the southern state of Tamil Nadu killed at least 36 people and injured 40 others, the state’s health minister said late Saturday Ma Subramanian told The Associated Press that the victims were dead by the time they were taken to a hospital and that the injured were stable. The dead included eight children, Subramanian said. The rally, which officials say was attended by tens of thousands of people, was being addressed by Vijay, one of Tamil Nadu’s most successful actorsturned-politician in the district of Karur Indian media reports, quoting local officials, said as Vijay spoke to the surging crowd, a group of his supporters and fans fell while trying to get close to his bus, causing the stampede. Supporters had gathered at the political rally amid intensely hot temperatures and Vijay arrived hours late, officials said.

Thieves steal $1 million worth of craft whiskey

Thieves who made off with 12,000 bottles of craft whiskey in a rare U.S. liquor heist this summer did more than just snag nearly $1 million worth of product — they also spirited away nearly half the stock of a single malt distillers had worked for more than a decade to make Now the Skagit Valley Sheriff’s Office is investigating, and whiskey aficionados are wondering if — and where — the coveted bottles of Westland Distillery’s first 10-year Garryana whiskey might turn up.

The bottles disappeared July 31, when someone in a freight truck showed up at Westland Distillery’s warehouse in Burlington, Washington, holding the paperwork that purportedly gave them the right to pick up a shipment of Westland single malt, Watchpost blended, and Garryana whiskies bound for New Jersey

But the bottles never arrived at their intended destination, and the “sophisticated, fraudulent carrier scheme” was discovered a week later, said Jason Moore, the managing director of the Seattle-based distillery

OREGON

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GILLIAN FLACCUS

A person stands Saturday outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore. Trump said Saturday that he will send troops

Trump says he’ll send troops to Portland

BY CLAIRE RUSH and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. — President Donald Trump said Saturday that he will send troops to Portland, “authorizing Full Force, if necessary” to handle “domestic terrorists” as he expands his deployments to more American cities.

Oregon Democratic Gov Tina Kotek responded by saying Trump is abusing his authority by ordering troops into a city that she said is doing “just fine” on its own. She was joined by other government, police and business leaders who all said soldiers are not needed and Trump is presenting a patently false picture of the city

Trump made his announcement on social media, writing that he was directing the Department of Defense to “provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland.” Trump said the decision was necessary to protect U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, which he alleged are “under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for details on Trump’s announcement, such as a timeline for the deployment or what troops would be involved.

In an afternoon news conference, Kotek said she directly told Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem earlier in the day that troops are not needed and she believes he does not have the authority to deploy the military there.

“We can manage our own local public safety needs. There is no insurrection There is no threat to national security,” Kotek told reporters.

The governor said she “tried to understand his reasoning” during their conversation and his response was just, “Let’s keep talking.”

“This is an American city We do not need any intervention,” Mayor Keith Wilson said at the news conference. “This is not a military target.”

Kotek said the president did not give a timetable for troops arriving. She said she told him the Oregon National Guard is not needed and she does not plan to call it up.

Trump, however previously deployed

guard soldiers and active duty Marines in Los Angeles even though California Gov Gavin Newsom opposed it. The federal government is appealing a judge’s ruling that Trump’s use of the guard was illegal.

Kotek urged the public to stay calm, saying any kind of property damage or violence will not be tolerated.

“Let’s not take the bait,” she said. “Let’s not respond to what the president is trying to do.”

Earlier Saturday there was no sign of any federal presence downtown, where people jogged along the Willamette River, relaxed by a riverside fountain or rode bikes on a sunny fall day.

“Where’s the emergency?” asked resident Allen Schmertzler 72, who said he was “disgusted” by the president’s decision.

Another, John McNeur, 74, called Trump’s statement “ridiculous.” He pointed out that he was taking “a leisurely stroll” along the river on a peaceful, sunny day

Airstrikes and gunfire kill at least 59 in Gaza

Pressure grows for ceasefire, hostage deal

BY WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip

Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 59 people across Gaza, health officials said Saturday, as international pressure grows for a ceasefire and hostage return deal while Israel’s leader remained defiant about continuing the war

Among the dead were those hit by two strikes in the Nuseirat refugee camp — nine from the same family in a house and, later, 15 in the same camp, including women and children, according to staff at al-Awda Hospital, where the bodies were brought. Five others were killed when a strike hit a tent for the displaced, according to Nasser Hospital, which received the dead.

Israel’s army said it was not aware of anyone being killed by gunfire Saturday in southern Gaza, nor of a strike in the Nuseirat area during the time and at the location provided by the hospital.

told fellow world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly on Friday that his nation “must finish the job” against Hamas in Gaza. Forty-eight hostages are still held captive there, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive.

Netanyahu’s words began after dozens of delegates from multiple nations walked out of the U.N. General Assembly hall en masse Friday morning as he began speaking.

“You were like the last of the lepers. Netanyahu, we promise you that if you don’t bring a comprehensive agreement and end the war you will forever be a leper,” said Itzik Horn, the father of Eitan Horn, one of the hostages held in Gaza since the Hamas attack that started the war He was referencing the U.N. speech and Israel’s isolation.

“My son Eitan sleeps sick and starving on the floor of a tunnel in Gaza or, worse, is used as a human shield against IDF fighters What will you save him with?” Horn added Saturday evening.

International pressure on Israel to end the war is increasing, with a growing list of countries deciding recently to recognize Palestinian statehood which Israel rejects.

“This place is not a city that’s out of control,” he said.

“It’s just a beautiful place.”

Trump previously threatened to send the National Guard into Chicago but has yet to follow through. A deployment in Memphis, Tennessee, is expected soon and will include only about 150 troops, far less than were sent to the District of Columbia for Trump’s crackdown on crime or to Los Angeles in response to immigration protests that turned violent with the troops’ arrival.

In Memphis, about 80 to 100 people marched to a plaza in front of City Hall to protest the expected arrival next week of the guard and more than a dozen federal law enforcement agencies, ranging from immigration to drug enforcement Protesters held signs with messages such as “Resources Not Task Forces” and “Memphis don’t need no occupation, Memphis don’t need no government control” — a play on the Pink Floyd song “Another Brick in the Wall.”

Speakers said beforehand that instead of federal troops and agents, Memphis needs more funding for education, crime prevention, youth services and hospitals. The Oregon officials made similar comments

Trump asks justices to uphold birthright citizenship order

President wants Supreme Court to allow his restrictions

BY MARK SHERMAN and LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump‘s administration is asking the Supreme Court to uphold his birthright citizenship order declaring that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens.

The appeal, shared with The Associated Press on Saturday, sets in motion a process at the high court that could lead to a definitive ruling from the justices by early summer on whether the citizenship restrictions are constitutional. Lower-court judges have so far blocked them from taking effect anywhere. The Republican administration is not asking the court to let the restrictions take effect before it rules.

The Justice Department’s petition has been shared with lawyers for parties challenging the order, but is not yet docketed at the Supreme Court.

Any decision on whether to take up the case probably is months away and arguments probably would not take place until the late winter or early spring.

“The lower court’s decisions invalidated a policy of prime importance to the president and his administration in a manner that undermines our border security,”

Solicitor General D John Sauer wrote. “Those decisions confer, without lawful justification, the privilege of American citizenship on hundreds of thousands of unqualified people.”

Cody Wofsy, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer who represents children who would be affected by Trump’s restrictions, said the administration’s plan is plainly unconstitutional.

“This executive order is illegal, full stop, and no amount of maneuvering from the administration is going to change that. We will continue to ensure that no baby’s citizenship is ever stripped away by this cruel and senseless order,” Wofsy said in an email.

Trump signed an executive order on the first day of his second term in the White House that would upend more than 125 years of understanding that the Constitution’s 14th Amendment confers citizenship on everyone born on American soil, with narrow exceptions for the children of foreign diplomats and those born to a foreign occupying force.

In a series of decisions, lower courts have struck down the executive order as unconstitutional, or likely so, even after a Supreme Court ruling in late June that limited judges’ use of nationwide injunctions

The director of Shifa Hospital in Gaza City told The Associated Press that medical teams there were concerned about Israeli “tanks approaching the vicinity of the hospital,” restricting access to the facility where 159 patients are being treated.

“The bombardment has not stopped for a single moment,” Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya said.

He added that 14 premature babies were treated in incubators in Helou Hospital, though the head of neonatal intensive care there, Dr Nasser Bulbul, has said that facility’s main gate was closed because of drones flying over the building.

The attacks came after a defiant Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Countries have been lobbying President Donald Trump to press Israel for a ceasefire. Trump and Netanyahu are scheduled to meet Monday At a weekly protest in Tel Aviv Saturday night, a hostage who had been held in Gaza for 471 days begged Trump to give the remaining captives the same chance to return home.

“Mr President, as you meet Prime Minister Netanyahu, please make the hostages your top priority,” Doron Steinbrecher, 32, said. “Families remain torn apart, their loved ones trapped in darkness, some waiting for a chance to return to life and freedom, others waiting to be buried with dignity.”

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saying the acronym stands for “profiteering big money.”

Major PBMs, on the other hand, say they go to bat for consumers and use their market power to fight Big Pharma for better drug prices and easier access to health care.

Pharmacy benefit managers administer prescription drug benefits on behalf of employers and health insurers, effectively acting as middlemen between drug manufacturers, health plan sponsors and pharmacies.

They negotiate drug prices, help determine which drugs are covered by an insurance plan, and reimburse pharmacies for dispensing drugs.

But health giants that own PBMs like CVS, UnitedHealthcare and Cigna — have come under fire for vertical integration, or owning multiple parts of the health care supply chain.

people on the state’s health insurance plan

But this month, lawmakers changed course, voting to split that work up for 2026 and give the majority of it to a Louisiana-based company called Liviniti.

Next year, Liviniti will handle PBM services for the vast majority of the state’s health plan members, while SilverScript, a subsidiary of CVS, will do that work for certain retirees who make up just one-fifth of the group

The value of the Liviniti contract, including the cost of members’ prescription drugs, is $749 million, and Louisiana is expected to pay $24 million in fees to the PBM for the work it does next year

The value of the SilverScript contract is $399 million, and Louisiana is expected to pay the company $8 million in fees.

That often includes owning a health insurer pharmacy benefit manager and pharmacy In some cases, it also includes owning drug manufacturers, wholesalers and health care providers.

Landry has been steadfast in his position that PBMs are to blame for high drug prices

In June, he called on Louisiana legislators to follow Arkansas’ lead in banning PBM ownership of pharmacies. While they didn’t go that far, lawmakers opted instead to call for a study of vertical integration.

“PBMs have become problematic because they operate with little transparency, driving up costs for patients while protecting their own profits,” said Kate Kelly, the governor’s spokesperson.

Last year, lawmakers approved a one-year contract with CVS Caremark to provide PBM services during 2025 for the roughly 200,000

An earlier version of the contract had already gone out for bid in spring, but Landry’s administration canceled the request for proposals amid the furor over vertical integration during the legislative session

“At the time, we visited with the governor,” Commissioner of Administration Taylor Barras told lawmakers this month. “In agreement with the governor, we rescinded that RFP.”

The state rebid the contract this summer, leading to the new arrangement with Liviniti and SilverScript

“We want to be clear about that, that these are nonvertically integrated PBMs that we talked with,” Barras said.

State Sen. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek, a staunch critic of major PBMs and ally of Louisiana’s independent pharmacists, said the independents were “very happy” with the new deal.

Randal Johnson, a lobbyist for the Louisiana Independent Pharmacies Association said the group strongly opposed the CVS Caremark contract because it wasn’t good public policy

ansky, a radiologist and cofounder of the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company — and a vocal critic of PBMs.

His company started as a drug manufacturer and won the financial backing of billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban. It’s been expanding into other parts of the pharmaceutical supply chain, including wholesale, insurance benefits management, and mail-order pharmacy

The company makes public the cost it pays for drugs and its price markup.

“We’re basically a middleman in another form,” Oshmyansky said in an interview “We’re just a more honest one, basically, where we reveal all the costs.”

of players involved in the prescription drug industry and gathering information to help it evaluate next steps.

“We’re just trying to get the necessary data for any legislation that may be plausible in the future,” he said.

“Once we have more data and more information from everybody involved, we’ll be able to make a more informed decision.”

Lopes said, “PBMs stand ready to work with Gov Landry and Louisiana’s legislators on policy solutions to lower drug costs.”

“We welcome the opportunity to provide policymakers with the truth on how prescription drug costs can become unaffordable,” he added.

He said the CVS contract directed patients toward CVS pharmacies.

“We believe that the patient should have access to their choice of pharmacy and that pharmacies should be reimbursed to cover their cost of acquiring and dispensing a drug,” Johnson said.

Asked about the state’s new PBM contract, CVS spokesperson Amy Thibault said, “We’re pleased to continue to partner with the State of Louisiana to support their retirees and their families.”

Less than two weeks after the legislative session ended, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill took CVS to court, bringing three separate lawsuits against the company, all of which are ongoing.

In one, Murrill accused the company of illegally misusing customer data for the political text messages it sent out amid the policy fight at the Legislature.

CVS has said that the text messages it sent “were consistent with the law.”

In two other lawsuits, Murrill accused CVS of using its vertically integrated design “to manipulate prices, restrict competition, and channel profits internally, all while operating behind a veil of contractual and financial opacity.”

CVS violated the state’s Unfair Trade Practices Act by distorting the drug mar-

ket and driving up costs and by under-reimbursing independent pharmacists, the lawsuits allege.

The latter two cases were moved this summer from state court to federal court in the Western District of Louisiana.

Thibault said CVS’s vertically integrated model brings value to patients, positively impacts patient health and provides better access and affordability.

“By combining health care delivery, pharmacy, health care benefits and pharmacy benefit management, we make it easier for people to have what they want the most: a connected care experience,” Thibault said.

Louisiana’s PBM Monitoring Advisory Council, which was originally set up in 2019, met Monday for the first time since it was restructured in the spring.

The chairman, state Sen. Adam Bass, R-Bossier City said the primary goal of the council is to make sure prescription drugs are affordable.

Historically, information related to PBMs has been “opaque,” Bass said. “We’re trying to get more transparency around how things are done and why things are done the way they’re done.”

At the invitation of Bass and Louisiana Department of Health Secretary Bruce Greenstein, the panel heard testimony from Alex Oshmy-

Talking to the council, Oshmyansky blasted PBMs, accusing them of using a variety of scams to artificially inflate drug prices.

“You have a very high list price. The list price is public. The real price is hidden. And the game is to arbitrage the delta as much as possible by whatever mechanism,” he said.

He argued vertical integration in the pharmaceutical industry is fomenting new “scams” and “shell games” to hide where the money is flowing.

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, a trade association that lobbies for the country’s largest PBMs, disputed those claims.

“The fact is that drug companies are solely responsible for setting and increasing drug prices, while PBMs lower drug costs for Louisiana patients by taking on Big Pharma,” Greg Lopes, a PCMA spokesperson said in a statement.

The Legislature this spring passed a PBM reform bill that restricts how the intermediaries can generate profits, requires disclosure of more information about how PBMs set prices and make money, increases the state’s regulatory powers, and improves drug reimbursement rates for smaller independent pharmacies.

Bass said the PBM council is now convening a variety

But Lopes warned that in the face of any legislation that would force pharmacies to close, “PBMs must stand on the side of patients and America’s veterans who depend on access to local pharmacies, home delivery programs, and the specialty pharmacies that help treat patients with serious health conditions.”

He was referring to Landry’s failed push at the Legislature for a ban on PBM vertical integration, the spark that ignited controversy at the Capitol this spring.

Landry didn’t respond to questions about whether he would still like to ban that practice or what PBM legislation he would like lawmakers to consider moving forward.

Cloud, the state senator, said she had hoped to pass the vertical integration ban

“I still see a PBM that owns a pharmacy as like a fox owning a hen house,” she said. “It just seems like such a conflict interest and a breeding ground for nefarious action that’s not in the best interest of patients.”

“We didn’t get that piece across the board, and we may go back and revisit it,” she said. “We’ll know a whole lot more moving into spring session.”

Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse. pfeil@theadvocate.com.

Russia:Aggressionwillbemet with ‘decisiveresponse’

Russian foreign minister speaks at U.N. meeting

BY JENNIFERPELTZ and EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS As new tensions rise between Russia and NATO powers,Moscow’stop diplomat insisted to worldleaders Saturday that his nation doesn’tintend to attack Europe but will mount a“decisive response” to any aggression.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke at the U.N. General Assembly after weeks in which unauthorized flights into NATO’s airspace —intrusions the alliance blames on Russia— have raised alarm around Europe particularly after NATO jets downed dronesover Poland and Estonia said Russian fighter jets flew into its territory and lingered for 12 minutes.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS

Russia’sMinister for Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrovaddresses the80th session of the United Nations General Assembly on SaturdayatU.N.headquarters.

or NATO countries, he said. “However,any aggression against my country will be met with adecisive response. There should be no doubt about this among those in NATO and the EU.”

Lavrov spoke three years intoRussia’sinvasion of Ukraine, awar that theinternational community has broadly deplored.

standing” and that Trump’s administration “islistening to us.” Trump and Putin held asummit in Alaska in early August but left without adeal to end the war.

Sounding anotably open note from acountry that has often lambasted theWest, Lavrov noted thesummit andsaidRussia had“some hopes” to keep talking with the United States.

Russia has denied that its planes entered Estonian airspace and has said the drones didn’ttarget Poland, with Moscow’sallyBelarus maintaining that Ukrainian signal-jamming sent the devices off course.

alliancewarned Russia this week thatNATOwould use allmeanstodefend against any further breaches of its airspace.

U.S. President Donald Trump said this week that he believedUkrainecan win back all the territory it has lost to Russia. It was anotable tone shift from aU.S. leader who had previously suggested Ukraine would need to make some concessions and could neverreclaimall the areas Russiahas occupiedsince seizing the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and launching afullscale invasion in 2022. Just three weeks earlier Russian PresidentVladimir Putin said his country and the U.S. had a“mutual under-

“Inthe approaches of the current U.S. administration, we see adesire not only to contribute to waystorealistically resolve the Ukrainian crisis, but also adesire to develop pragmatic cooperation without adopting an ideologicalstance,” the diplomat said, portraying thepowers as counterparts of sorts: “Russia andthe U.S. bear a special responsibility for the state of affairsinthe world andfor avoiding risks that could plunge humanityinto anew war.”

To be sure, Lavrov still had sharp words for NATO,analliance that includes the U.S., andfor theWest in general and the European Union. Trump’snew view of Ukraine’sprospectscame after he metwith its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the sidelinesofGeneral Assembly on Tuesday— seven months after atelevised blowup between the two in the Oval Office. This time, the doors were closed, and the tenor was evidently different —“agood meeting,” as Zelenskyy described it in his assembly speech the next day

For the fourth year in a row,Zelenskyy appealed to the gathering of presidents, prime ministers andother top officials to get Russia out of his country —and warned that inaction would put other countries at risk.

“Ukraine is only the first,” he said.

ButEuropean leaders see the incidents as intentional, provocative moves meant to rattle NATO and to suss how the alliancewillrespond. The

At theU.N., Lavrov maintained it’sRussia that’sfacing threats “Russiahas neverhad and does nothaveany suchintentions” of attacking European

BY ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON The FBI has fired agents who were photographed kneeling during aracialjustice protestin Washington that followed the 2020death of George Floyd at thehandsofMinneapolis police officers, three people familiar with the matter said Friday The bureau last spring had reassigned the agents but has since fired them, said the people,who insisted on anonymity to discuss personnel matters with The Associated Press. The number of FBI employees terminated was not immediately clear,but two people said it was roughly20. The photographs at issue showed agroupofagents taking the knee during one of the demonstrationsfollowing theMay 2020 killingofFloyd, adeath that led to anational reckoning over policing and racial injustice andsparked widespread anger after millions of peoplesaw video of the arrest. The kneeling had angered someinthe FBI but was also understood as apossible de-escalationtactic during aperiodofprotests.

TheFBI Agents Association confirmedinastatement late Fridaythat more than a dozen agents had been fired, including military veterans

with additionalstatutory protections,and condemned the move as unlawful.Itcalled on Congresstoinvestigate andsaidthe firings were another indication of FBIDirector Kash Patel’sdisregard for the legal rights of bureau employees “As DirectorPatel has repeatedly stated,nobody is abovethe law,”the agents association said.“But rather than providing these agents with fair treatment anddue process,Patel chose to again violate the law by ignoring these agents’ constitutional and legal rightsinstead of following the requisite process.”

An FBI spokesman declined to comment Friday

St.Luke’s EpiscopalSchool

By Amanda McElfresh |amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

This articleisbrought to youbySt. Luke’s Episcopal School.

Since 1957,St. Luke’s Episcopal Schoolhas provided ahighquality, faith-based education in awarm and nurturing environment. Today, under the leadership of Head of School Mitch Bilbe, the school continues its mission to prepare students not only foracademic successbut alsofor meaningful lives grounded in service, leadership and community.

Bilbe said thatthe people of St.Luke’s– parents, teachers, administrators,staff and students –makeita truly nurturing and kind environment

“Everyoneisonthe same pageasfar as who we areand who we want to be,” he said. “It’saholistic approach wherewe’re not justteaching in the classroom. Pretty much everything we do hereissome sort of lifelesson. We have very supportive parents who buy into that.

At theheartofthatholistic approach is acommitmentto meeting children wheretheyare.ALearning Lab provides targetedsupport forstudents whoneed extrahelp in math or reading, as well as enrichmentfor thosewho areready to be challenged.

“Our small classsizes really help teachersidentifywhich

BatonRouge’stop private and magnet schools,ithas enhanced itsprogramming recently with newtechnologythatexpands hands-on learning. This year,anInnovation Lab wasadded to the lowerschool, featuring robotics and other interactive activities.The middle school computer lab wasupgraded to give students the chance to work on robotics,3Dsculpting and other projects.

As an Episcopal school, spiritual formation is central to the St.Luke’sexperience. Students attend weekly chapel services with age-appropriate programming. Religion classesuse the Godly Playcurriculum, encouraging students to explore their faithinmeaningful ways.Daily prayers and faithpractices are wovenintothe rhythmofschool life.

In addition, leadership developmentisencouraged at every grade level. Younger students serveinthe chapel and takeon classroom jobs,while older students lead throughabuddy program, mentoring younger childrenand making decisions thataffect their peers. Students arealsoencouragetoserve others throughoutreach effortssuch as toydrives,flood relief food collections and support formilitary families

“It’sa balance between building thatcultureand having

asheaf of high-profile legal challenges. Many began under now-Gov.Jeff Landry when he was attorney general, from allegations that President Joe Biden’sadministration pressured social media platforms to censorconservative comments againstCOVID-19 vaccines to requiring all public schools to post the Bible’s TenCommandments.

Aguiñaga is not amember of the Louisiana Bar Association, which means he can’t appear in astatecourt. But that’snot his job.

Come Oct. 15, Louisiana will rely on Aguiñaga to present its position before a U.S. Supreme Court considering the constitutionalityof the Voting Rights Act.

The case will decide whether Louisiana will have twomajority-Black voting districts for the U.S. House. But the high court’sdecision in Callais v. Louisianacould reverberate across the country if the court overturns the remaining protection for minority voters in the 60-yearold law

“All eyes are on Louisiana,” said Michael Li, aredistricting law specialist with the Brennan Center for Justice in New York. “It seems like the Voting Rights Act is facing amonumental path.”

Arising star

Aguiñaga is one of the country’s up-and-coming conservative legal minds, having clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito and 5th U.S. Circuit Court of AppealsJudge Edith Jones, one of the conservativelegal movement’s major dynamos.

Born in Metairie and raised in the Houston suburb of Pearland, Texas, Aguiñaga is an evangelical Protestant family man with twochildren —and longhorn cattle for pets

Before becoming solicitor general, he was an appellate attorney for Jones Day,one of the nation’slargest law firms, where he represented large corporations, including IBM and JSW Steel USA Inc.

ButAguiñagatoldLSU in April 2024 he learned his craft working for U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge DonnyWillettwhen he was on the Texas Supreme Court —then Jones, then Alito as the second LSU graduate to secure the coveted position on the high court.

Michelle Stratton, aHouston appellate attorney who Aguiñaga calls amentor, agrees.

“Ben’srole would be to advise his client, given his appellate expertise and his particular experience with how the U.S. Supreme Court operates, which he will have seen as alaw clerk,” she said.

Stratton is the firstLSU law alum to clerk at the Supreme Court —for Justice Clarence Thomas.

Stratton said Aguiñaga reached out, and she gave him tips to help him through

the application process.

“Ben is very humble and genuine.Heisadown-toearth person,very generous with his time and with his encouragement,” Stratton said.

SupremeCourt history

AguiñagatoldLSU in April 2024: “Clerkships are valuable not just because of what youlearn from yourjudge and the work itself, but also because of thepeople you meet andthe friendships you form.”

Michael Zuckerman,who now is NewJersey’s deputy solicitor general, met Aguiñagawhentheyclerked forthe high courtduring the October 2018 term that ended June 2019. Zuckermanclerked for liberal JusticeSonia Sotomayor,who usuallyfinds herselfatodds with Alito.

Clerks spendalot of time sounding out legalpositions and gathering information about how other justices thinkaboutthe issues.

“What stood out to me was that he was someone who was interested and willing to take the time to hear what other people thought,” Zuckerman said.“Ialways felt he had an open ear and open mind when Ishared my own thoughtsthat might be different from his.Icame to really thinkofhim not just as the colleague but as afriend.”

It wasn’tall work, Zuckerman said.The clerksalso spent alot of social time together

He said if this law thing doesn’twork out,Aguiñaga could have acareer smoking beefbrisket for aliving —the highest compliment for aTexan

“My hands-down favorite experience was smoking my first briskets at thecourt,” AguiñagatoldLSU.“Ibefriended acourt employee whohad builtahugewoodfired smoker forthe court, complete with agavel atop thesmokestack.”

He smoked brisketsfor theclerksand apork belly forAlito in whatAguiñaga called“an all-nightaffair tending to thefire in acourtyard while editing adraft opinion.”

“I also miss thebuilding itself,” he said. “Beingableto wanderdown thosemarble halls,grabbing soft serve fromthe cafeteria andplotting the next law clerkhappy hour.”

High-stakesarguments

Aguiñaga willsharethe Supreme Court dais in Octoberwith seasoned litigators who havedecades of experience in civil rights law

Edward D. Greim, of Kansas City,for instance, was presenting briefs to the Supreme Courtonelection law when Aguiñagawas just entering Baylor University, where hegraduated in 2012. Calleda“trailblazer” in election law bythe National Law Journal, Greim represents the Callaislitigants, who argue that Louisiana’s twoBlack majoritycongressional districts were racially gerrymandered and thus violated the Equal Protection Clause.

Stuart C. Naifeh,ofthe NAACP LegalDefense and

EducationFundInc., has 20 yearsofexperiencelitigating voter suppression cases under theVoting RightsAct He representsthe Robinson litigants,who contend that thirdofLouisiana’ population is Blac andlive closeenoug to each other and share common terests long ignored by thestate’sWhi congressionald egation.

majority Legislature instead redrew thedistricts to achieve political goals, not just to meet racial standards: namely, to protect the White majorities in the northLouisianabased districts that elect House SpeakMike Johnson, R-Benton, and Rep. lia Letlow,R-Baton Rouge.

The Voting Rights Actallows the drawingofdistricts that include enough minorityvoters to give Black candidates a chance to winina state where White majorities have never backed an African American candidate.

Aguiñaga alsomust contend withLouisiana changing directions on Aug. 27 from defending theneed for twoBlack majority congressional districtstofindingthe minority-majority district unnecessarybecausethe Voting RightsAct is unconstitutional.

In March, Aguiñaga argued federal courtsfound two Black opportunitydistricts were allowed under the Voting Rights Act; the courts threatened to redraw election maps themselves.

Louisianaargued the GOP

“We’re talking about the Speaker of the House. No rational stategambles withthose highstakesseats in that situation,” Aguiñaga told the justices.He argued states needed “breathing room” between the Voting Rights Actand the EqualProtection clause to balancepolitical interests.

TheSupreme Court couldn’tdecide the caseduringits last term and asked the parties to brief on whether the Voting Rights Actwas constitutional.

Murrill has argued thatthe questionallows Louisiana to argue what it has long believed, that courts shouldn’t be in the business of telling stateshow to redraw election maps based on race.

That meansAguiñaga’s presentation will dramatically change. Now he must

persuade the samejustices that the creation of asecond majority-minority districtis unconstitutional.

“Whether race technically predominates or not …does not change the fact that the classification is fundamen-

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Gov. Landryissues

executive order on AI

Gov.Jeff Landry has issued an executive order temporarily restricting the use of artificial intelligence in state agencieswhile officials set policiesfor using the technology

Capitol Buzz STAFF REPORTS

Landry’s order,issued Sept. 16, says “recent innovations of artificial intelligence and generative AI are transforming commerce, work, and society,” and “these innovations will technologize the way in which the state will serve the public in the near future.”

But it also notes that effective AI use requires the input of quality data and that “it is the goal of the State of Louisiana to ensure the use of AI by government agencies is responsible, ethical, beneficial and trustworthy.”

Landry

The order says “no agency shall procure or license the use of AI prior to December 15, 2025.” It calls on the state’schief information officer and the heads of other agencies not served by his office to issue apolicyonhow to acquire and use the technology by that date. Until the policy is in place,the order forbids state agencies from entering some kinds of information into AI systems, including personal identifying information, proprietary information and confidential data.

State representative meets with pope

State Rep. Mike Bayham Jr., R-Chalmette, had an audience with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican lastweek.

Bayham presented the pope with acopy of areso-

LOUISIANAPOLITICS

State RepresentativeMike Bayham Jr., R-Chalmette, met withPope Leo XIV at the Vaticanlast week

lution he sponsored congratulatinghim as the first American-born pontiff, a lapel pinand aglass oyster shell —“asymbol of St. Bernard’srich commercial fishing heritageand critical industry,” he said in anews release.

“Popes receive giftsof all kindsfrom aroundthe world,but the Holy Father really seemed intrigued by the glass oyster.I wanted to give himsomething that is associated with our parish,” Bayham saidinthe statement.

Bayham said he asked Leotokeep St. Bernard Parish in his prayers,along with his mother,Kathy Gomez and afriendatthe State Capitol undergoing experimental cancer treatment

“When you have one-onone time with thepope, you need to make themost of the opportunity and your word —for me, those centered around home,family and friends,” said Bayham, aparishioner of OurLady of PromptSuccor Church in Chalmette. “It was the honor ofalifetime toshake hands and speak withPope LeoXIV.”

Murrill joins campus speech letter

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill joined 16 other attorneysgeneral from red states in urging university leaders to avoid charging “exorbitant” security fees to campus groups that bring in public speakers.

The letter says protecting free speech on college campuses is particularly importantafter theassassination of Charlie Kirk, aconservative activist who was killed while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.

The attorneys general say some college officials “are using Charlie Kirk’smurder as justification to shut down free speech on campus,” requiring groups to pay security fees they can’tafford. The letter refers to such fees as an “Assassin’sVeto.”

“Particularly at this moment, it is critical our state institutions of higher learning serve as forums for robust debatefrom all perspectives,” the letter says. “The campus should be the very place where theFirst Amendment rings loudest to hear.”

Murrill added in anews release: “LSU has led in defending free speech. Ihope all our state institutions will continue to do that. The right to free speech is above all others and we must protect it.”

The letter argues that somefees could violate the First Amendment right to free speech, particularly if they are applied based on thecontent of the speech.

Kirk, aclose ally of President Donald Trump, was thefounder and leader of Turning PointUSA,aconservative advocacy group on college campuses. He was killed in themiddle of a tourofcampuses throughout the country; Gov.Jeff Landry is set to speak in his stead at LSU on Oct. 27.

La. duckhunting gets $50 millionboost

The federal government will spend roughly $50 million on two Louisiana wildlife refuges,conserving waterfowl habitat and expanding public access for duck hunting, fishing and similar recreation.

The Upper Ouachita Na-

tional Wildlife Refuge will get $35 million toconserve 17,023 acres and the Red River National Wildlife Refuge will get $14 million to conserve 3,285 acres,

U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy’soffice said in anews release.

“Whether it’s duck hunting at sunrise or casting a line in the afternoon, Louisianans know how important theoutdoors are toour way of life,” said Cassidy,R-Baton Rouge. “This funding allows folks to keep enjoying while boosting local economies in North Louisiana.”

The money comes from theMigratory Bird Conservation Commission through thesale of duck stamps.

Higgins blasts Massie on Epstein files

U.S. Rep.Clay Higgins, aRepublican from Lafayette, has criticized fellow Republican Congressman Thomas Massie’spush to force avote on the “Epstein Files,” saying his colleague is “100% wrong, on so many levels.”

Massieispushing aprocedural move to force a vote—over theobjections of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, aRepublican from the Shreveport area —onlegislation that would requirePresident Donald Trump’sadministration to release files from investigations intoJeffrey Epstein, thedisgraced financier who was accused of trafficking underage

ASSOCIATEDPRESS

U.S. Rep.ClayHiggins, R-Lafayette, has criticized fellow RepublicanCongressman Thomas Massie’spush to force avote on the ‘EpsteinFiles,’saying hiscolleague is ‘100% wrong,onsomanylevels.’

girls forsex Trump, like former president Bill Clinton and other powerful men,was aonetimeassociate of Epstein’s.

His administration has resisted releasing many of the documents, arguing they could reveal sensitive information about victims.

“It’sashame, what my friend Thomas has done, attempting to injure the Republican Party and ignore the privacy rights of hundreds of innocent Americans whomay have their lifeturned upside downbecause of his weird petition,” Higgins wrote on

social media.

Higgins, like other Louisiana Republicans in Congress, notes that the GOP-led House Oversight Committee is continuing to conduct “an actual, deep investigation into all things Epstein related.”

“Ifsomeone becomes subject to warrant or subpoena, that’swhen their identity will becomepublic,” Higgins wrote. “That’s how legitimate investigations operate.”

Mark Ballard’scolumnwill returnnext week

By Amanda McElfresh| amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

When ChristySmith’s fatherretiredatage58after a35-yearcareerwithExxon, hebelievedhehaddoneeverythingright.He’dworkedhard, helpedraisefourchildrenand investeddiligentlywithhopes ofleavingbehindaninheritance forhis grandchildren. But shortlyafter hiswell-earned retirement,his confidence ga nights.Asthe marketsdeclined herealized that whilehehad investments, he didn’t have atrue retirement plan

ThatexperiencebecametheinspirationforSmith’s life’sworkandthefoundationforherDenhamSprings business,Presley Wealth Management.She also recently releasedabook, Unlock Your S.M.A.R.T. Plan,where shesharesthe lessonsshe’s learned helping families preparefor retirement –lessons herfatherlearned thehardway “Myinspiration100percentcamefrommydad,” Smithsaid. “Hewas so convincedthathehad a plan.Hehad alot of pride. When he came to me to askforhelp,that’swhenIknewitwasserious.That is what changedmycareerdirection.Iwantedto help people createplans so thesamethingdidn’t happen to them.”

Smithhad already builtabusinessfocused on Medicare supplementsand long-termcare. She startedher companyin1997, inspired by herlove ofworkingwithseniorsandhercloserelationship with hergrandmother. But, herfather’ssituation made herrealize shewantedtogofurther.She expanded herknowledge,earnedher securities licenseand ultimately foundedPresley Wealth Management in 2015 “Myniche is retirement planning,”Smith said “Wetakepeoplefrom‘thisiswhatIhavesaved’to ‘ways’ to make this into an income plan moving forward.’Alot of people we work with aresaving well.Welookatwhattheyhaveandmayshiftfunds for them to potentiallyhavea better taxstrategy inside of theirplan.

AtPresleyWealthManagement,Smithandher team focusonhelping clientsprepare forevery aspect of retirement –not just investments. Her S.M.A.R.T. plan philosophy includes strategies foroptimizingMedicareand covering long-term careneeds,aimingtominimizeinvestmentlosses regardless of market conditions andpotentially saving moneyontaxes,which shesaidcan be one of thebiggest surprisesfor people in retirement “Mostpeopleare underthe assumption that theirtaxes in retirement willbelessthanwhen theywereworking.Thatisnotusuallythecase.The IRSrulesaroundRequiredMinimumDistributions oftenmeansthattheywillbepayingmore,”Smith said.“That’swhyhavingatax-efficientstrategyis really important. Youhave to builda taxstrategy slow andsteady. Smithnoted that many people benefitfrom beginningtheir retirement planningatleast

severalyears before theirdesired retirementdate,commonlystarting in their50s.Thattimelinegives herandherteamthechancetodoa thoroughreviewofwhatclientshave saved, make strategicadjustments and buildaplanthatbalances risk and stabilitywhile also accounting orinflationandunexpectedexpenses Planningforhealthneedsisanother mportantpartoftheapproachatPresley WealthManagement.Smithsaidmany people don’t thinktheywillneeda nursinghome orassistedlivingcommunity,butnotedthatlongterm care takesmanyforms

“Peopletoday arereceiving services formore yearsbecausewearelivinglongerandoftenstaying many more yearsinour home,” shesaid.

Thefirm uses sophisticatedsoftwaretools to modelvarious scenariosand help clientssee how past market events or unexpected costscould impact theirplans

“It’seasytoget data.Whatisnot easy forthe averageconsumeristoputthepiecesofthepuzzle together,”Smithsaid.“Wehavethetoolsthathelp bringitall together.”

Educationisa cornerstoneofSmith’s philosophy. In addition to herbook, sheand thePresley WealthManagementteamhostfree,no-obligation educationaleventsonvariousaspectsofretirement planning “Knowledge is powerful,” shesaid. “Our goal is to serve. Even if someoneisn’t theright fit forus, we want to give them theright informationand help them findthe most value.

PresleyWealthManagementislocated at 170 Veterans Boulevard, Denham Springs. Formore information,visitpresleywealthmanagement.com or call 225-791-5773

DISCLOSURE:Insurance products areoffered throughtheinsurancebusinessThePresleyGroup. PresleyWealthManagementisanInvestment Advisorypracticethatoffersproductsandservices throughAEWealthManagement, LLC(AEWM), aRegisteredInvestmentAdviser.AEWMdoesnot offer insuranceproducts. Theinsurance products offeredbyThe PresleyGroup arenot subjectto Investment Adviserrequirements.AEWMand ThePresley Groupare notaffiliated companies. Medicare services provided throughThe PresleyGroup.Any andall otherservicesrelated to insuranceareanoutsidebusinessactivityandare notoffered throughorsupervisedbyAEWealth Management,LLC Neitherthefirmnoritsagentsorrepresentatives maygivetax or legaladvice. Individualsshould consult with aqualifiedprofessionalfor guidance before making anypurchasingdecisions PresleyWealthManagementisnotaffiliatedwith theU.S.governmentoranygovernmentalagency 3255261-9/25

Ukrainenuclear plantenters5th dayonemergency power

Zelenskyy announces $90B arms deal

BY ILLIA NOVIKOV and VOLODYMYR YURCHUK Associated Press

KYIV,Ukraine Ukraine’sRussian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant entered its fifth day running on emergency generators Saturday, prompting mounting safety concerns.

PresidentVolodymyr

Zelenskyy,meanwhile, announced a$90 billion arms agreement with the United States and criticizedHungary for carryingout “dangerous” intelligence-gathering drone activities over Ukraine.

External power to the Zaporizhzhia nuclearpower plant, Europe’slargest, has been cut for more than four days in arecordoutage at the six-reactor facility on the front line of the war,Greenpeace Ukraine

actor exploded in 1986. Ukrainian officialsconfirmed the severity of the situation. MinisterofEnergy Svitlana Hrynchuk told The Associated Press that “the plant remains in blackout mode,which is asignificant violation of theconditions for its normal operation,” marking the 10th such incident since Russia’sfull-scale invasion in February 2022. Thecause, she said, was another shelling by the Russians, which damaged the only power transmissionline supplying theplant from the

Ukrainian energy system. The Russian-controlled Telegramchannelfor the plantsaidSaturdaythat“sufficient diesel fuel reserves are available on-site to ensure long-term autonomous operation of the generators.”

Aradiation and nuclear energy specialist at Greenpeace Ukraine, Jan Vande Putte,said“emergency diesel generators are considered thelastlineofdefense used only in extremecircumstances.”

“These are undoubtedly the most seriousand impor-

tant events sincethe beginning of the occupation of the ZNPP by Russia in March 2022,” he said. Putte saidthat it wasRussia’s“deliberate actions” that led to the plant’sdisconnection from the external power grid of Ukraine. He warned that the development advanced Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy companyRosatom’s“longstanding goal” to “connect to the illegally occupied power grid in Zaporizhia and Donetsk regions and restart the nuclear reactor.”

warned Saturday Emergencydieselgenerators are being usedto power cooling and safety systems after thefinal power line was severed on Tuesday,according to the U.N. nuclear watchdog.RafaelGrossi directorgeneral of theInternationalAtomicEnergy Agency,met withRussian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday,but theexternal powersupply was notrestored.

The reactor core and used nuclear fuelmust be cooled to prevent themoverheatingand triggering dangerous meltdowns like the ones that occurred in 2011, when an earthquake andtsunami hit the Fukushima plant in Japan.

The U.N. atomic watchdog has repeatedly warned of thepossibility of aradiation catastrophe like the one at Chernobyl,about 300 miles to the northwest, where are-

U.S. revokesvisafor Colombia’s presidentoverleader’scomments

BY CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Tensionsbe-

tweenthe United States and Colombia have escalated with theState Department announcing it was revoking avisa for Gustavo Petro, president of the Latin American country,after he participated in aNew York protest where he called on American soldiers to disobey President Donald Trump’sorders.

The departmentsaid on socialmedia that “we will revoke Petro’svisa due to his reckless and incendiary actions.” Petro was visiting for the annual U.N.General Assem-

bly.During anearbyprotest Friday overthe warinGaza, he said “I askall thesoldiers of theUnitedStates’ army, don’t pointyour rifles against humanity” and “disobeythe orders of Trump.”

Petroreturned to Colombia on Saturdayasintended, in accordance with aSept.18 decree on the delegation of powers during his absence. He saidonX thathefound outabout his visa status upon his arrival.

TheState Departmentdid not answer questions about whether the revocation would affectfuture visits.

Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, used apost on XaddressedtoTrump to

saythat “international law grants me immunity to go to the U.N. and that there should be no reprisals formy freeopinion, because Iama free person.”

Petro, who hasahistory of speaking off the cuff in meandering, ideologically chargedspeeches, alsosaid on social media that “I don’t care” about the punishment because he is alsoaEuropean citizen. That means he does not need avisa to travel to the U.S.

Colombia broke diplomatic ties with Israel last year over the Israel-Hamas war. Petro has repeatedly describedIsrael’ssiege of Gaza as genocide.

It’s been abig summer for Lilly& Jace Kids Boutique.Itwas votedthe Gold Award winner in the2025BestofBaton Rougefor Best Children’s Clothing Store, andinearly September, it movedtoanew location in the Highland Park Shopping Center at 18303 PerkinsRoadE,Suite 405B

Nowsettled in thenew location andbaskinginthe Best of BatonRouge honor, Lilly& Jace is ready forsomeofits biggestmonths of theyear.

“Wehave thebiggest selectionofLSU children’s apparelinthe area.There’s obviouslya huge interest in that here, especially during football season,” ownerRebecca Lawsaid.

“Wealsosella lotofchildren’sMardi Gras clothing andaccessories. Alot of people like to buythose forChristmas presents,sowe’ll be puttingout thoseitems in just acoupleof months.Wehave to getahead of thegame. LawsaidLilly &Jace’snew location will ensure that customershavethe experience they’vecometoexpectfromthe boutique Thephysicalstore first opened on Jefferson Highwayalittlemorethanthreeyearsago.For abouttwo yearsprior to that,Law operated herbusinessasanonline-only enterprise

“WhenIwaspregnantwithLillian,Ienjoyed shopping alot.I foundmyselfhoninginonthe qualityand really studying theproducts,”Law said.“My grandmotherand aunt didhand smocking,soIgrewuplearningabout the importance of good quality. Ihad ahardtime finding what Iwas lookingfor locally, andI felt Icould do it myself as abusinessowner It really stemmedfromwanting to providea better varietyofquality clothing andaccessories here in BatonRouge.”

Lawhand-selectsevery item before putting it in herstore to ensure it meetsthe standards shehas setfor herselfand herbusiness.

“I’m very particular andI’m notshy about that,”shesaid.“Istudyeverythingtothedetail andchoosethingsthatIknowaregoodquality.”

In addition to LSUand MardiGraswear, Lilly&Jacealsohas otherseasonalwear forholidayslikeThanksgiving, Christmas andEaster. Lawsaidmanyparents also look forclothingfor family or kids’photo shoots,including siblingsetsthatcreate a cohesive look.The boutique hasclothingand accessories availablefor boys andgirls from newborns to age14. “I love ourcustomers andI really like taking care of people,” Lawsaid. “I’m trulyapeople person.The Best of BatonRouge meantso much becauseI thinkitshows that people realize we take care of them andlovethem. They feel thesameway aboutusthatwefeel aboutthem.” Visitwww.lillyjacekids.comfor more information.

U.N. imposes‘snapback’sanctions on Iran

BY JON GAMBRELL and AMIR VAHDAT Associated Press

DUBAI, UnitedArabEmirates

The United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran early Sunday over its nuclear program, further squeezingthe Islamic Republic as its people increasingly find themselves priced out of the food they need to survive and worried about their futures. After last-minute diplomacy failed at the U.N., the sanctions took effect Sunday at 7p.m.

The sanctions willagain freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran, and penalize any development of Iran’sballistic missile program, among other measures.Itcame via a mechanism known as “snapback,” included in Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, and comes as Iran’s economy already is reeling. Iran’s rial currency sits at a record low,increasing pressure on food prices and making daily life that much more challenging. That includes meat, rice andother staples of the Iranian dinner table. Meanwhile, people worry

about anew round of fightingbetween Iran and Israel —aswellaspotentially the United States —asmissile sitesstruck during the 12day warinJunenow appear to be being rebuilt.

Activists fear arising wave of repression within the Islamic Republic,which alreadyhas reportedly executed morepeoplethis year than over thepast three decades.

Sina, thefather of a12-yearold boy who spoke on condition that only his first name be used for fear of repercussions, said thecountryhas neverfaced such achallenging time, evenduring the deprivations ofthe 1980s IranIraq war and the decades of sanctions that came later

“For as long as Ican remember,we’ve been struggling with economic hardship, and every year it’s worsethanthe last,”Sina told The Associated Press “For my generation, it’salwayseither toolateor too early —our dreams are slipping away.”

Snapback was designed to be veto-proof at theU.N. Security Council, meaning China and Russiacould not stop it alone, as they have other

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByVAHID SALEMI

Twowomen walk Saturdaypast ahugebanner showing the late commander of the Iran’s RevolutionaryGuard expeditionaryQudsForce, Gen.Qassem Soleimani,who was killed in aU.S.drone attack in 2020, and twoHezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah, center,and Hashem Safieddine, whowere killed in Israeli airstrikes in 2024, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami square, in Tehran, Iran.

proposed actionsagainst Tehran in the past.

France,Germany and the United Kingdom triggered snapback over Iran 30 days agofor its further restricting monitoring of itsnuclear program and the deadlock over its negotiations withthe U.S. Iran further withdrew

from the International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring after Israel’swar on the country in June,whichalso sawthe U.S. strike nuclear sitesinthe Islamic Republic. Meanwhile,the country still maintainsastockpile of uranium enriched up to 60% purity —ashort,technical step

away fromweapons-grade levels of 90% —that is largely enough to makeseveral atomic bombs, should Tehran choose to rush toward weaponization.

Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, though the West and IAEA say Tehran had an organized

weapons programupuntil 2003.

Tehran hasfurther argued thatthe threeEuropean nations shouldn’tbeallowedto implement snapback, pointing in part to America’sunilateral withdrawal from the accord in 2018, during the first term of President Donald Trump’sadministration.

“The Trumpadministration appears to think it has a strongerhandpost-strikes, and it can wait for Iran to comeback to the table,” said KelseyDavenport, anuclear expert at the Washingtonbased Arms Control Association. “Giventhe knowledge Iran has, given the materials that remain in Iran, that’s averydangerous assumption.”

Risksalso remain for Iran as well, she added: “In the short term, kicking outthe IAEA increases the risk of miscalculation. The U.S. or Israel could use the lack of inspections as apretext for further strikes.” Iran on Saturday recalled itsambassadors to France, Germany and the U.K. for consultations ahead of the sanctions being reimposed, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

BY FREIDAFRISARO

Associated Press

MIAMI Crews spent Saturday making preparations for an unnamed weather system thatwas forecast to become Tropical Storm Imelda by early Sunday before approaching the coast of South Carolina as ahurricane this week. Meanwhile,Hurricane Humbertogrew into astrong Category 5storm in theAtlantic and threatened the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Bermuda. South Carolina Gov.Henry

McMaster urgedresidents on Saturday afternoon to closely monitor the weather andstayalertaspotential badweather approaches the state Also on Saturday, North CarolinaGov.Josh Stein declared astate of emergency in advance of thesystem thatwas being identified by theNational Hurricane Center in Miami as Tropical DepressionNine.A yearago Saturday, Hurricane Helene devastated parts of South Carolina and North Carolina Forecasters said the systemwas on track tobecome

atropical storm Saturday or earlySunday. It would be named Imelda. At 4p.m., the system was located about 105 miles southsouthwestof theCentral Bahamas. It was moving at 5mph.

“Whatwelearnevery time is we never know where they aregoing to go,” McMaster said during aSaturday afternoon news conference todiscuss thestorm. “This storm is deadly serious.Not just serious. Deadly serious.”

The storm could bring high winds and heavy rain, which could produce flooding, he said. The state was prepo-

sitioning search and rescue

crews over the weekend.

Meantime, Hurricane Humbertostrengthened to aCategory 5hurricane on Saturday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds of 160mph,according to the National Hurricane Center’s latestadvisory.The storm was located about 350 miles northeast of thenorthern Leeward Islands. It was moving west at 10 mph.

Humberto could produce life-threatening surf andrip currents for the northern LeewardIslands, theVirgin Islands, Puerto Ricoand

Bermuda over the weekend, forecasters said.

The National Weather Service in Puerto Rico issued a small craft advisory,urging people to stay ashore and avoidunnecessary trips,with Saturday’sswells from Humberto expected to reach about 7feet in Atlantic waters. They also advised residents to heed the beach warning flag system because of the high risk of ripcurrents.

The unnamed system was threatening partsofthe Bahamas and Cuba with heavy rainfall and flash flooding on Saturday,withportionsof

theBahamas undera tropical storm warning. More warnings and watches were expected on Saturday night and Sunday,the hurricane center said. The Bahamas’ Department of MeteorologyonSaturday urged residents in the northwest andcentralislands, which include Nassau, Andros Island, San Salvador and Long Island, to “make final preparations” for tropical storm conditions to begin at night. The agency said it expects the center of the system to move acrossthat region throughout Sunday

Sparse indictment of Comeybeliescomplex backstory

BY BYRON TAU Associated Press

WASHINGTON The indictment of former FBI Director James Comey is only two pages and alleges he falsely testified to Congress in 2020 about authorizing someone to be an anonymoussource in news stories.

That brevity belies aconvoluted and contentious back story.The events at the heart of the disputed testimony are among the most heavily scrutinized in the bureau’shistory,generating internal and congressional investigations that have produced thousands of pages of records and transcripts.

Those investigations were focused on how Comey and his agents conducted high-stakes inquiriesinto whether Russia was helping Republican Donald Trump’s campaign during the 2016 presidential race against Democrat Hillary Clinton and her use of aprivate email server while shewas secretary of state.

Here are some things to know about that period and how they fit into Comey’sindictment:

What arethe allegations?

The indictmentalleges that Comey made afalse statementintestimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The singlequote from the indictment appears to be from an interaction with Sen. TedCruz, R-Texas. Prosecutors contend Comey lied when he denied having authorized anyoneat the FBI to be an anonymous source to the media. In fact, prosecutorsallege, he had done that very thing by telling someone —identified as “Person 3” in the indictment —tospeak to reporters.

“It’ssuch abare-bones indictment,’ said Solomon Wisenberg, aformer federal prosecutor and now a defense attorney in private practice.“We do notknow what the evidence is going to be” at trial.

What didComey say?

Wisenberg said the testimony in question appears to have come when Cruz was pressing Comey over the role that his deputy director,Andy McCabe, played in authorizing aleak to The Wall Street Journal for a story examining how the FBI handled an investigation into Clinton’suse of a privateemail server when she was secretary of state Cruz’squestion was complicated, but it boiled down

years investigating whether Trump’scampaigncolluded withthe Kremlin tohelp him win the WhiteHouse. In the end, Muelleruncovered no evidence thatTrump or his associates criminally colluded withRussia, but found that they hadwelcomed Moscow’sassistance. Trump has long vented about the“Russia hoax,” which shadowed anddefinedthe early yearsofhis first term. Trump hasspent the ensu-

ing years bashing Comey and saying he was worthy of being charged with treason.

Just days before the indictment, Trump publicly urged his attorney general, Pam Bondi,toact against Comey and two other perceived Trump enemies:“We can’t delay any longer,it’skilling our reputation and credibility,” Trump posted on social media last week. “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW.” Within hoursofthe indict-

ment being returned, Trump turned again to social media to gloat: “JUSTICE IN AMERICA! One of the worst human beings this Country haseverbeen exposedtois James Comey.” Comey has hardly backed down, criticizing Trumpon ahost of matters. In a2018 memoir,“AHigher Loyalty,” Comey compared Trump to amafiadon andsaidhewas unethical and “untethered to truth.”

to pitting Comey against McCabe. The senator noted that Comeytold Congress in 2017 that he hadnot authorized anyonetospeaktoreporters. ButCruz asserted that McCabe had “publiclyand repeatedly said he leaked information to The Wall Street Journal and that youwere directlyaware of it and that you directly authorized it.”

“Who’stellingthe truth?”

Cruz asked

Comey answered:“Istand by thetestimony you summarized that Igave in May of 2017.”

At thattime,Comey had been put on thespotbySen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa. Comey was asked whether he had “ever authorized someone elseatthe FBIto be an anonymous source in newsreports about the Trump investigationorthe Clinton investigation.”

Comey answered,“No.”

Theindictment says Comey falsely statedthathe had not “authorizedsomeone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports,” but Comey appears not to have used that exact phrasing during the 2020 hearingatissue, potentially complicating efforts to establishthat he made a false statement. What sparkedquestions?

“Person 3” is not identified in theindictment, butappears to have been discussing an investigationrelated to Clinton, based on aclearer reference in afelonycharge thatgrandjurors rejected. Comey figured in several inquiries into alleged leaks in the Clinton investigation, all of which generated extensive paper trails.

One involved McCabe and the Journal story.McCabeetoldthe Justice Department’sinspector general that hehad authorized asubordinate to talk to the

Journalreporter andhad told Comey about that interaction after the fact.

It’s unlikely theindictment is focused on that episode becauseMcCabenever told investigators that Comey had authorized him to talkto the media, only thatthe FBI director was awarethat McCabe had done so.

Twoother leak investigations involved afriend of Comey’s whoserved for a time as apaid government adviser to the director.That adviser, DanielRichman,has told investigators he spoke to the media to help shape perceptions of the embattled FBIchief.

Richman, alaw professor at Columbia University,was interviewedbyFBI agentsin 2019 aboutleakstothe media that concerned the bureau’s investigation intoClinton. RichmansaidComey had never authorized him to speak to themedia about the Clinton investigation buthe acknowledged Comey was awarethat he sometimes engaged withreporters.

Comey hasacknowledged usingRichman as aconduit to the media in another matter.After Comey was fired by Trump in 2017, he gave Richman amemo that detailed his interactions with thepresident. Comey later testified to Congress that he had authorizedRichman to disclose the contentsofthe memo to journalistswith thehopes of spurring the appointment of aspecial counsel who might investigateTrump.

Howdid we gethere?

Trump andComey have been engaged in along-running feud. Trumpblames Comey for having started an investigation into Russia’smeddling in the 2016 campaign that led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller.Mueller spent the better part of two

Giuliani,Dominionsettlelawsuit

ByThe Associated Press

Dominion suedGiuliani in 2021 for $1.3 billion in damages after he led Trump’s effortstocast doubt on the 2020 election results.

Conservatives and other Trump supporters blamed thecompany,one of the nation’stop voting machine makers, for the Republican’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

NEW YORK Rudy Giuliani has reached asettlement withDominion Voting Systems in its $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit over his baseless 2020 election-rigging claims. The two sides said in a filing in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Friday that they have agreed to permanently dismiss the suit against the former New York City mayor andformer personallawyer to President DonaldTrump. The brief filing doesn’t cite the settlement terms Spokespeople forGiuliani andthe Colorado-based company said Saturday that the termsare confidentialand declined to comment further.

ParentsacrossEastBatonRougeParishwillsoon have thechancetoapply for theirchild’s spotin oneofthe school district’s 30 magnet programs ThepriorityapplicationperiodforEBRMagnet Programs opensonMonday, October6and ends on Friday,December 5. Theentireapplication canbecompleted online at www.ebrmagnet.org

“Thebestchancetogetintothemagnetprogram ofyourchoiceistosubmitthatapplicationduring thepriorityperiod,”saidElizabeth Thomas recruiterfor EBRMagnetPrograms. Thomas notedthatmanyofthe most popularmagnet programs fillall of theiravailable seatsduring thepriorityapplication window.Familiescan list afirstand second choice in theirapplication

“Weideally want to placefamilieswhere they want to be,” Thomas said EBRMagnetProgramscomeatnocostto students whoare zonedfor East BatonRouge Parish Public Schools. Some programs have academic requirements,including a2.5 cumulative gradepoint average over thepasttwo yearsand scoringbasic or aboveonLEAPtests whileother programs have open admissions.All admissionrequirementscan be foundonlineat www.ebrmagnet.org.

TheEBRMagnetProgramsofferopportunities at everygrade level. Themes includemedical science, legalstudies,the arts, broadcasting robotics,museumstudies,foreign language immersionand much more

“Magnetprogramsaretheme-basedprograms, Thomasexplained.“Thebiggestadvantageisthat students gain hands-on experienceinschools with thematic programmingintegratedintoa curriculum that aligns with theirinterests.We findthatwhenstudents love what they do every day, they excelacrossthe board.

Beforethe priority applicationperiodbegins, East BatonRouge Parish families canexplore thefullrange of opportunitiesduringMagnet Showcase Week,fromMonday, September29to Friday,October3.Eachmagnetprogramwillopen itsdoorstoprospectivestudentsandparentswith tours,showcaseevents,informationalnightsand thechancetospeak with facultyand students Then,onSundayOctober 5, all30programs will be on displayduringMagnetMania at the

LouisianaArt &Science Museum in downtown BatonRouge.The eventrunsfrom10a.m.to2 p.m. Attendees willreceive free parkingand museum admission. “There willbedemonstrationsfromall of our magnetprograms,”Thomassaid.“Representatives fromallofthemagnetschoolswillbetheretotalk aboutwhatmakes them so special. Many EBRMagnetProgramshaveearned national andregionalawardsofexcellenceand distinction, either overallorfor exemplarywork directly relatedtothe programtheme.Students in some programs have participated in notable competitions,including ones whotookpartin a robotics worldchampionshipevent Beyond theserecognitions,the district works withbusinessesandcommunitypartnerstoensure themagnetprogramscontinuetothrive. Local companies, universitiesand nonprofits often collaboratewithmagnetschools,providingguest speakers,internshipsandmentoringopportunities.These connectionshelpstudents seeclear linksbetween theirstudies andfuturecareers “Myadvicetoparents is to look at theinformation on thewebsitesand checkout aschool’s showcase events,” Thomas said In addition to www.ebrmagnet.org,families cancall225-922-5443forquestionsorassistance.

‘Hard pass,’ ‘cold brew,’ ‘dad bod,’ ‘rizz’ and more

BY LEANNE ITALIE

AP lifestyles writer

NEW YORK Word nerd

alert: Merriam-Webster announced Thursday it has taken the rare step of fully revising and reimagining one of its most popular dictionaries with a fresh edition that adds over 5,000 new words, including “petrichor,” “teraflop,” “dumbphone” and “ghost kitchen.”

The 12th edition of “Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary” comes 22 years after the book’s last hardcopy update and amid declining U.S. sales for analog dictionaries overall, according to Circana BookScan.

It will be released Nov 18, with preorders now available.

Petrichor, by the way, is a pleasant odor after a rainfall following a warm, dry period. Teraflop is a unit of measure for calculating the speed of a computer Dumbphones are just that, mobile devices we used before the smartphone revolution. And ghost kitchens, which came into their own during the pandemic, are commercial spaces for hire.

Other additions: “cold brew,” “farm-to-table,” “rizz,” “dad bod,” “hard pass,” “adulting” and “cancel culture.” There’s also “beast mode,” “dashcam,” “doomscroll,”“WFH” and “side-eye.”

The new “Collegiate” also includes enhanced entries for some top lookups, and more than 20,000 new usage examples. All of the added words were already available on Merriam-Webster com.

Making room

The company removed two sections of the “Collegiate’s” 11th edition that

had sparse biographical and geographical entries to make room for the new content. Greg Barlow, Merriam-Webster’s president, exclusively told The Associated Press ahead of the announcement that people no longer use dictionaries to learn such things as the location of Kalamazoo or who Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was. For that, they reach for the internet.

(It’s a city in southwest Michigan, for the eternally curious, and he’s a Russian composer who died in 1908.)

Merriam-Webster also eliminated some obscure and antiquated words, including “enwheel,” meaning encircle.

“We wanted to make the ‘Collegiate’ more useful, a better design, more interesting,” Barlow said “We wanted it to be more rewarding to browse, more fun to look through, and to really be practical for research, but also a beautiful book.”

Sales of dictionaries

The chunky linen-cover “Collegiate” update weighs in at nearly 5 pounds. It comes as adult reference book sales, including dictionaries and atlases, have shown annual declines since 2022, according to Circana BookScan, which captures 85% of the print market. In the 12-month period ending Sept., 6, dictionary sales fell 9% compared with the same period prior Merriam-Webster, the country’s leading dictionary company, sells about 1.5 million of them a year Most are regularly revised but not fully overhauled like the “Collegiate,” Barlow said. The company’s retail sales overall have generally held steady in the last few years, he said. Print sales account for a small fraction of the company’s revenue. “While the print dictionary is not at all important to

the growth and profitability of this wonderful language company, it’s still our heart,” Barlow said. “There are people out there who just love books, and we love books.”

For dictionary sales overall, there’s a bit of sunshine at Barnes & Noble. The chain’s dictionary sales have gone up so far this year over the same period in 2024, said Kat Sarfas, marketing manager for nonfiction.

She noted similar increases for such reference materials as the U.S. Constitution as well.

“I do think there is that nostalgia that people have to be able to pull a dictionary off the shelf and look up a word,” Sarfas said. “There’s a certain desire to have these kinds of reference materials at home. It may be something that people feel like, as educated people, we should own.”

Not dead yet

While Merriam-Webster’s “Collegiate,” originally focused on the needs of college students, is among top sellers in dictionaries for Barnes & Noble, its general-interest “The MerriamWebster Dictionary” is more popular It was last tweaked in 2022. A pocket version is also a strong seller, Sarfas said.

Death knells for print dictionaries have been ringing since the rise of the internet, said Grant Barrett, a lexicographer, former dictionary editor for Oxford University Press and others, and co-host of public radio’s “A Way with Words.”

“Now we’re in this weird limbo where people want the dictionary but they don’t want to pay for it, because they’re used to getting things for free on the internet,” he said.

Merriam-Webster’s website receives about a billion visits a year, making the company a word digital

leader as well, Barlow said. Over the last 10 years, revenue overall has grown by nearly 500% on the strength of its online dictionary thesaurus, mobile apps and word games.

The new “Collegiate” introduces curated word lists, such as words from the 1990s and “10 Words for Things that Often Go Unnamed.”

And it has more word histories. Did you know “calculate” comes from the Latin for “pebble,” because ancient Romans used little stones to do addition and subtraction?

And, for incredibly granular dictionary fans, the new “Collegiate” preserves lettered thumb notches — those little finger-size dents along the edges of reference book pages — to make browsing easier The only printer doing the notches

in the U.S. has closed since Merriam-Webster was last in need, so it had to go to India, Barlow said.

They still matter

Print versions still matter in preserving cultures, as gifts, as a household utility, and for students under cellphone bans at school, among other reasons, said Sarfas Barrett and other book pros.

“There are lots of communities that speak languages that have never been documented, and they may not have been documented because those languages might have been actively suppressed. I’m thinking about Indigenous communities across North America,” said Lindsay Rose Russell, executive director of the Dictionary Society of North America.

“Having a print dictionary

has all along sort of indicated the legitimacy of a language,” said Russell, also an author who teaches English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Barrett said his show and its companion podcast receive a lot of letters from readers that lend insight into how they use dictionaries.

“Some people use the dictionary almost as a meditative resource where they just open it up and see what they find and kind of let their minds wander a little bit,” he said.

Got a band in need of a name? Commodores’ trumpet player William King used a dictionary to find his, running his finger down a page, Russell noted. “We lucked out,” King told People magazine in 1978. “We almost became ‘The Commodes.’ ”

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Democratsprepare forpossiblefederal shutdown

Theirendgame is uncertain

BY MARYCLARE JALONICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON Senate Democrats who have struggled for monthstocounter President Donald Trump have settled on abold, one-step strategy if they do not get significant concessions on health care before government funding runs out Wednesday: voting to shut down the government.

The plan is heartily endorsed by many frustrated voters in the base and party activists, some of whom called on Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York to resign in March after he provided support forRepublicans to keep the government open at that time.

“America’sability to endure this moment requiresa Democratic Party driving a vibrant, impactful and public resistance,” Katie Bethell, executive director of liberal grassroots groupMoveOn, wrote in aletter to party leaders.

Less clear is what’sinthe minority party’splaybook after 12:01 a.m. EDT Wednesday,whenthe shutdown would start and the administration could begin laying off hundreds or even thousands of federal workers, if it carries through with plans laid outbythe White House this week.

How does it all end? And what do Democrats do then?

Publicly,Democrats say they believe Trump and Republicans will bear the blame if there is ashutdownand that they eventually would be forced to negotiate acompromise. That is arisky bet.

Republicanshold the majority in both the House and Senate and have shown no signs of relenting as Democrats insist on an immediate extension of health care benefits that expire at the

endofthe year,among other demands.

Democrats have also adopted asomewhat resigned view of the choiceahead.

The country “willget worse with or without” a shutdown, Schumer said this month. “Because Trump is lawless.”It’sanuncertain endgame andanabout-face for Democrats who in the past have strenuously opposed shutdowns thatwere instigated by Republicans. An extended shutdown withmassfiringsoffederal workers would be amajor escalationinthe annualspending battlesbetween the two parties. Thethreat of government closure —and thepotential politicalramifications —has generally scared both sides enough to bring everyone to thenegotiating table, eventually “Funding the government is aDemocrat equity, at least it alwayshas been,” said Senate MajorityLeader John Thune, R-S.D.,who has declined to negotiate with Democrats unless theyhelp pass the seven-week extension of government funding that has cleared theHouse. “And here they are steering us off thatcliff.”

The mostrecent shutdown —the nation’slongest—was in the winter of 2018-19, when Trump was insisting on federal dollarstobuild the U.S.-Mexico border wall during his first term. It ended when he backeddown after 35 days

Schumer says things have changedsince his March vote to help fund the government through thesummer Republicans passed amassive tax bill that cut Medicaid spending, and Trumphas repeatedlyblocked federal spending that was previously approved by Congress. Democratssay Republicans have not reached out to negotiate, and they criticized Trump for canceling aWhite House meeting withSchumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. It appearsthe president may have reversed course, as he now plans to meet with Schumer, Jeffries, Thune and HouseSpeaker Mike Johnson on Monday

“This president is just he’snot up to being president if he can’tsit down and negotiate withthe two Democratic leaders,” Schumer said on PBS’ “NewsHour” this week. Jeffries saidFriday that

Denmarkreports drone sightingsatmilitaryfacilities

BY KIRSTEN GRIESHABER

Associated Press

BERLIN The Danish defense ministry said Saturday that “drones have been observed at several of Danish defense facilities.”

The new drone sightings overnight Friday into Saturday come afterthere were severaldrone sightingsin the Nordic country earlier this week, with someof them temporarily shutting down Danish airports

Several local media outlets reported that one or more drones were seen near or above the Karup Air Base, which is Denmark’sbiggest military base

The defense ministry refused to confirm the sighting at Karuporelsewhere and said that “for reasons of operational security and

theongoing investigation, the Defense Command Denmark does not wish to elaborate further on drone sightings.”

Theministryclarified later to public broadcaster DR thatreportsofadditional drone activity at Skrydstrup Air Base and the Jutland Dragoon Regiment referred to sightings that didn’toccur overnight from Friday to Saturday.Its earlier statementseemed to implythattiming, andwas widely reported. The ministry couldn’tbe reached immediately for confirmation, but astatement on its websitereferringtothe incidentsatthe base and barracks was dated Thursday— though itdidn’t directly confirm thesightings took place that day

Tensions have been run-

ning high in Denmarkinrecent days after various reports of drone activity,and hundreds of possible sightings reported by concerned citizens couldn’tofficially be confirmed. Nonetheless, thepublic has been asked to report allsuspicious activity to police.

On Saturday,DRand several other local media reportedthatinKarup, there were drones in theair both inside and outside the fence of theair base at around 8p.m. on Friday,quoting SimonSkelkjær, the duty manager at the Central and West Jutland Police.

DR said thatfor aperiod of time, the airspace was closed to civil air traffic, but thatdidn’thave muchpractical significance as there is currently no civil aviation in Karup.

Democrats are “not going to go along toget along.” Johnson“hasmynumber. JohnThunehas my number,” he said. “The White House knows how to reach out.” Most Senate Democrats have held together in threatening ashutdown, but it is possible thatsome in the caucus will vote to keep the governmentopenortry to strike adeal when the deadline arrives.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., voted with Republicansina test vote, and nine otherDemocrats votedwith Schumer and Republicans on the March resolution. Republicans would need at least six additional Democrats, potentially more, to reach the necessary 60 votes for passage. Schumer hasa lottolose either way,after taking apolitical thumping from liberal groups, and many voters, in the spring.

Agroundswell of angst and frustration hasbeen simmering formonthsamong the Democratic base, driven by Republicans’ tightening grip on Washington anda growing perceptionthatthe DemocraticParty is too weakto fight back. Now,with federal closures looming, many activists andlawmakerssee a rare point of leverage and a chance to recast the party’s image with voters.

“It wouldbenaive to suggest that all the trust that Democraticelected officials have lost and squandered with their base voters can be regained in one moment or onefight,”saidJoel Payne, chief of communications for MoveOn. “But Ithink it will go along way to really start to reverse that relationship.”

Sydney Register of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee said Democrats cannot afford to yield againevenifthatmeansthe administration carries out mass federal layoffs. Register saidthat voting with Republicans was like giving “the schoolyard bully their lunch money.”

“I wanttosee them hold on to their lunchmoney,because all the bully is going to do is try to keep stealing from you,” she said. Sen. Cory Booker,D-N.J., madeasimilar analogy about Trump andDemocraticefforts to extend the expanded health care subsidies, which expire Jan. 1. Some Republicanssupport theextension, but Trump and GOP leaders have said that is afight for later in the year.Democrats say thetime foractionisnow

“I’m not afraid of (Trump), I’mnot afraidofhis threats, and Iknow that this is going to be atough fight and an ugly fight,”Booker said this month. “Butthis is one fight worth having, andthat’s where Istand.”

Associated Press writers

Bill Barrow in Atlanta and Joey Cappelletti and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.

Trees could help N.O. combat heat island effect

Sweet and the “street scientist” volunteers who compared temperatures in sunny and shady parts of the city are trying to make the case that trees are worth the investment. Their temperature data is still being analyzed.

BY SAM KARLIN Staff writer

The volunteers fanned out across New Orleans while the sun beat down and the temperature kept rising.

Sensors attached to their cars captured the stifling heat on a July afternoon transmitting data back to the group’s home base in Hollygrove-Dixon.

There, Raymond Sweet served as a lieutenant of sorts. He fielded calls every few minutes as drivers asked where to go next. His table was strewn with printouts of routes, and he flipped between a barrage of incoming texts and a sheet of names.

The temperature had reached 98 degrees. A wet bulb thermometer rested on a tripod out back, measuring how humidity was making the heat worse. It clocked 83.5 degrees — dangerously high and becoming unsafe for people to spend time outside.

The brutally hot day was perfect for their experiment.

Sweet and his team hoped their results would help capture how extreme heat bakes the city unevenly Stretches of Central City and the Lower 9th Ward, for instance, are blanketed in concrete. Parts of Uptown are lush and cooler, with sprawling oaks whose canopy extends out for miles, providing shade.

“We want to provide data,” Sweet said. “And not just for lawmakers and people with money, but we also want to explain to our residents that it’s hot because there are no trees around It’s hot because you decided to put an illegal driveway in. It’s hot because the surfaces are too dark. It’s absorbing the heat.”

Trees have long offered a panacea to extreme heat But New Orleans is struggling to maintain a robust tree canopy, and its current one covers just 18.5% of the city, according to a reforestation plan by SOUL, a tree-planting nonprofit. That makes New Orleans an outlier compared to a host of other Southern cities. The canopies in Jacksonville, Florida, and Nashville, Tennessee, span nearly 50% of the cities. Charleston South Carolina, has 63% coverage

But in New Orleans, the lack of shade from leaves and branches contributes to one of the most intense heat island effects in the nation. Pavement and buildings soak up heat and make summers all the more sweltering — and dangerous — for residents.

And climate change is worsening the effects. Heat deaths have risen substantially in recent years as the city endured a series of unusually hot summers and hurricanes that knocked out its aging power grid. Nighttime temperatures, in particular, have climbed dramatically For residents in one of the nation’s most impoverished cities, this has culminated in a quiet disaster.

Still, efforts to plant more trees in New Orleans have been met with resistance on many fronts: few protections for trees on private property, a lack of funding to plant and care for enough of them, hurricanes that have mangled and uprooted thousands of trees and residents who are wary of trees after they caused previous storm damage.

Sweet hopes their findings will help in the long fight to make his neighborhood and others like it more livable while summers grow hotter and flood threats worsen because of climate change.

Most of all, he wants more trees.

That goal in Hollygrove-Dixon has been a maddening fight Neighbors balked at the planting of tall, shade-producing trees, with years of hurricane trauma making them hesitant to grow anything that could cause future storm damage.

Getting funding for his nonprofit was an uphill battle.

Outside Sweet’s office, the July sun beat on the concrete that surrounded the neighborhood, and residents sweated in homes where window AC units whirred to keep up. The morning of his volunteer heat sensor experiment Sweet found out that more than 100 trees had been cut down.

“107 trees were just wiped out,” said Angela Chalk, who founded and runs the nonprofit that planted them, Healthy Community Services in the 7th ward. “Just gone.”

Those trees don’t fall under the city’s tree protections because they were on Sewerage & Water Board property A spokesperson for the Sewerage & Water Board said the agency is working to replace the trees, and they regret cutting them down.

“When people don’t connect those dots, you’re going to have people cutting down trees,” Sweet said “Whether it’s a city worker who cuts down 100, or a neighbor who cuts down one, you have people not understanding the value of a tree.”

Uprooted

Since its founding, New Orleans has lacked a widespread tree canopy Trees were largely an afterthought when the city was developed in the 1700s, making it hard to reforest to this day

“Streets and sidewalks were laid out with a narrowness that clearly did not value or expect urban forestry, which is what explains the dearth of trees in our oldest neighborhoods,” said Richard Campanella, geographer and associate dean for research at the Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment.

That changed over the course of the 19th century, as developers laid out more spacious neighborhoods, and again in the early 20th century when the city sought to beautify its streets and even operated a nursery to foster the live oaks that have become an iconic part of the cityscape

But Hurricane Katrina wiped out nearly 10% of New Orleans’ tree cover, according to one estimate, after the 2005 storm lashed the city with Category 3 winds and the levee breach swamped the city with brackish, polluted water From 2005 to 2009, the city lost nearly 2,800 acres of trees, the study found.

A network of nonprofits that rose from the rubble after Katrina made reforesting the city part of their mission. But the tree canopy has struggled to flourish.

The city enforces few protections for trees on private property, which advocates say are crucial to building a canopy that can cool down homes. City workers or private contractors have damaged or chopped down live oaks and other

are under threat. Hurricanes on the coasts, extreme heat and drought in the southwest and wildfires across the country are taking a toll.

“Trees are going to be a critical part of the sustainability of New Orleans and cities like New Orleans who are on the front lines of extreme weather and heat for generations to come,” Lambe said.

The fight for tree protections

Until this year New Orleans hadn’t updated its tree canopy ordinances since 1956. Tree advocates began pushing last year to bolster the local laws. They pointed to repeated instances of contractors cutting down or damaging trees with little notice, as well as the city’s lagging canopy

The result was an ordinance passed in March at the behest of council member Leslie Harris, which put in place a raft of protections for trees on city property

Only arborists can work on such trees, Parks and Parkways must oversee work done near them and injuring city trees is banned, among other safeguards.

trees in various parts of the city in recent years And President Donald Trump’s administration earlier this year canceled funding for a project that would have delivered hundreds of trees to the Lower 9th Ward, citing a move away from “diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Hurricane risks have also made it more difficult to plant and maintain the canopy here. The Nature Conservancy recently started a project in Lakeview to maintain trees planted in the wake of Katrina. But before the Nature Conservancy took over, unpaid volunteers were taking care of the trees rather than arborists, said Amanda Takacs, director of the Conservancy’s Louisiana “treesilience” program.

Planting trees often falls low on the city’s priority list, she said, adding: “It’s just not as important as everything else.”

40,000 trees

In a climate action plan, the city called for planting 40,000 additional trees by 2030. Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration has tracked more than half of the goal, 24,000 trees, already planted since 2017 by nonprofits or the city, according to a list of responses from city officials provided by Parks and Parkways Director Michael Karam.

He said the city has “aggressively pursued federal support for reforestation” in recent years. The Office of Resilience and Sustainability landed several grants totaling millions of dollars to help fund tree plantings, which the city expects will fund enough to meet the 40,000tree goal.

Those grants will fund 8,650 tree plantings by the city in the coming years. Nonprofits are expected to use some of the money to plant nearly 10,000 trees, according to a city estimate.

Karam said older neighborhoods blanketed with concrete provide fewer “planting opportunities” and are more vulnerable to extreme heat. He said the city has updated zoning codes to require parking lots have trees, for instance. And he noted the city got a federal grant to remove 3,100 square yards of concrete and add 1,500 trees to a plot in Central City The project, funded by Hurricane Ida recovery money, is still in the planning phase.

Karam added that Parks and Parkways works with a host of agencies, nonprofits and residents to plant and track thousands of trees each year on city property

He noted that state law “strongly

favors property rights,” but the city is working on an urban forestry management plan to grow the canopy The report may include recommendations on code enforcement for trees on private property

Jefferson Parish has protections for trees on private property in a section of Old Metairie, and a tree preservation study by the city of New Orleans in 2020 called for adding such protections locally

“While the city is planting thousands of trees on public property reforesting New Orleans requires more than city-led efforts — private property owners and community organizations must also play a role,” Karam said.

A job that never ends

On another blistering summer day, Susannah Burley drove along Bayou St. John, surveying the trees lining the water Bald cypress trees, planted years ago, stood strong and tall.

Burley spotted a tree with a water bag still wrapped around its trunk, an important hydration measure that should be removed after a few months. She pulled over under a live oak and grabbed a knife from her glove compartment, then cut the bag off the tree.

Burley’s group, SOUL, planted its first trees nearly a decade ago in Mid-City near Parkway Bakery, where they still stand. Since then, she’s canvassed neighborhoods that lack trees, working to convince residents to allow her to plant them.

But Burley now believes the city needs to step up if New Orleans is to resurrect its tree canopy

“We need all the help we can get,” Burley said.

They’re also facing funding concerns. SOUL was supposed to receive $1 million for tree planting in the Lower 9th Ward as part of a package of grants that the national Arbor Day Foundation was overseeing. The foundation received $75 million in grants from the Inflation Reduction Act under former President Joe Biden’s administration.

But in February, the Trump administration sent the organization a memo saying it was canceling the grant because it “no longer effectuates agency priorities regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and activities.”

Arbor Day Foundation CEO Dan Lambe called the decision frustrating and said the group is appealing it. Nonprofits and cities around the U.S. are trying to bolster the urban tree canopy at a time when trees

But the nonprofits and advocates who pushed for the ordinance say it doesn’t go far enough.

David Marcello, an attorney who pushed for more stringent tree protections, said he struggled to get city officials to even sit down and talk about several measures he helped draft for Tree Canopy Nola, a group of advocates. The measures included stepping up penalties for damaging trees and disqualifying contractors who disregard tree ordinances from public bids, among other proposals.

“You won’t find these sensible tree protections in the ‘updated’ city code,” Marcello said. “City Hall had ample opportunity but declined to incorporate any of them.” Harris didn’t respond to messages seeking comment.

Karam, of Parks and Parkways, said the update to the ordinance is merely a “first step in a larger process,” to deliver some immediate results while avoiding sticky subjects that might delay the ordinance He said the forthcoming urban forest management plan should help provide long-term strategies for strengthening the city’s tree canopy “Parks and Parkways and our planting partners share the vision for stronger protections for both public and private trees, as well as greater coordination across city departments,” Karam said. “However, those kinds of systemic changes cannot be fully addressed within this ordinance alone. It will require broad public engagement, education, and collaboration across agencies like SWBNO and others.”

Chalk, the head of the 7th Ward nonprofit that planted the trees that were cut down on Florida Avenue this summer said she’s been focused on the city’s heat island effect recently Her nonprofit, which got its start planting backyard container gardens after Katrina, planted hundreds of trees in a four-block slice of the 7th Ward. They have been monitoring temperatures for years.

She called the ordinance “a start” but said the city needs a more comprehensive law And, she said, the city needs to connect with residents who may not understand that a lack of trees makes the city hotter, increasing electric bills and bringing health risks as climate change worsens.

“We’re trying to change the culture of people’s mindsets around having trees in public spaces,” she said.

-Freda

America’s oldest Black town fights for its survival

BY JONATHAN BULLINGTON Chicago Tribune (TNS)

BROOKLYN, Ill. The brick building at Madison and South Fifth streets is still vacant, still boarded up, still tagged with faded gang graf-

fiti.

For the second time in as many years, it’s been slated for a $2.5 million makeover, courtesy of the federal government, that would transform the building — once a grocery store and, later, a skating rink — into a community center for this historic town of 650 people across the Mississippi River from St. Louis.

And once again, the project has stalled, its future uncertain, amid partisan spending battles in Washington, D.C., and the looming threat of a government shutdown.

“This is a good example of an important community project being held hostage,” said U.S. Rep. Nikki Budzinski, a Springfield Democrat whose district covers Brooklyn and who included the community center as part of her federal appropriations requests in fiscal years 2025 and 2026.

“These communities, and Brooklyn is a great example, are not flush with cash,” she added.

“They’re in need of these federal investments (and) the level of uncertainty is creating anxiety.”

There have been plenty of reasons for anxiety, and some signs of hope, in Brooklyn this year as community members and supporters fight to stave off the city’s demise and preserve its legacy as America’s oldest Black town.

In January, the Chicago Tribune profiled Brooklyn: Its founding in the early 1830s as a refuge for free and enslaved Black people. Its days as a thriving entertainment hub.

Its eventual decline in the second half of the 20th century and the disparate group of archaeologists, urban planners, preservationists, current residents and former Brooklynites at the center of an ambitious revitalization plan.

Shortly after the story published, staff from U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s office contacted Brooklyn officials to offer federal help.

People familiar with those discussions said they included the possible construction of a dual visitor center and museum, but excitement for the plan had been quashed a few months later when it became clear that President Donald Trump’s administration had little appetite for anything that spoke to the country’s history of racism.

A spokesperson for Durbin blamed the Trump administration and congressional Republicans for stymying federal investment in Brooklyn and other Illinois communities, saying their “historic cuts to Medicaid, education and other critical services have also impacted funding for local projects across the country, all to line the pockets of billionaires.”

Mayor Trenton Atkins said he is not waiting around for the federal government, nor is he concerned with attempts to whitewash his hometown’s story

“You can’t erase history,” he said. “It was here before we were, so how can you erase it? We’re go-

ing to always have our history in Brooklyn. I think they’re trying to keep our children from learning our history But it’s up to us to step in and show them.”

Five months ago, the 65-year-old Brooklyn native and former village trustee unseated three-term incumbent Vera Glasper-Banks to become mayor He’s called the availability of federal dollars a “freeze,” one he expects will eventually thaw

“We’re trying to put ourselves in a position where when things get better,” he said, “we’ll be ready.”

And so, on a Monday in August, the new mayor boarded a golf cart and toured Brooklyn with a group that included state Sen. Christopher Belt of Swansea and representatives from Norfolk Southern railroad.

Generations of Brooklynites have been wary of continued expansion by the railroad companies whose tracks encircle the village and who, in past decades, have become its largest landowners in

combined acreage and parcels.

Atkins, though, has tried to strike a different tone

“The railroad has been here for years,” he said. “And what people don’t understand — the railroad is part of our history.”

Days after Norfolk Southern’s visit, he hosted a similar tour with officials from the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis. In both cases, he said the companies agreed to clear overgrown and littered lots they own in town. At least a dozen parcels were identified to start, he said, with the ultimate goal of redeveloping the properties.

Spokespeople from both companies confirmed the cleanup efforts have started on select parcels and that the companies are working with the village on economic development opportunities for the land.

“I just feel like Brooklyn has been behind the times for so long,” Atkins said. “Right now, I’m feeling good about it, because we’re getting key stakeholders at the table to talk about how we can change things. I’m kind of excited to see down the line, like next year, where will we be?”

The mayor said he thinks one of the newly cleared parcels could become the site of a new fire station and village hall; the former has been condemned, the latter in not-much-better shape

There are plenty of other needs in Brooklyn: Housing. Infrastructure repairs. Jobs and businesses so the village is less economically reliant on the adult entertainment industry, which had been booming but has retracted in recent years. Before that can happen, though, Atkins said he wants the village to have a clear direction for its future.

Helping with that effort is the Chicago-based nonprofit Far South Community Development Corp., which works primarily with communities on the city’s South Side.

Prompted by the Tribune’s coverage of Brooklyn, the organization’s president, Abraham Lacy said he reached out to Brooklyn’s past administration about volunteering its services.

“I’m amazed as an African American and a person who’s pretty astute on history how I didn’t even know about this,” Lacy said. “I just felt a certain level of wanting, a need, to help. I came down there to say however which way they want to use us, we want to do it.”

Lacy said he and other volunteers — consultants and urban planners are in the early stages of research for what could ultimately become a comprehensive village plan, one that incorporates and builds upon last year’s revitalization planning sessions organized by the Western Illinois University-based Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs.

The Trump administration’s posture toward Black history — and the ensuing effects on federal funding allocations — is not deterring that work, Lacy said.

“I don’t think we should give much weight to this administration because they’re a moment in time,” he said. “Although they could delay things from happening, they can’t deny us because, eventually, we’re going to get what we need.” Illinois, he added, is “a state that invests in people and invests in communities.”

New bite-resistant wetsuits can reduce shark bite injuries

Scientists testing new technology

BY PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press

PORTLAND,Maine Australian scientists tested the strength of bite-resistant wetsuits by allowing sharks to chomp the materials at sea and found that the suits can help keep swimmers safe.

Fatal shark bites are vanishingly rare, with less than 50 unprovoked shark bites on humans worldwide in 2024, according to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History But increased sightings of large sharks in some parts of the world have swimmers, surfers and divers looking for new ways to stay safe.

Scientists with Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia, tested four bite-resistant materials and found they all reduced the amount of damage from shark bites. They performed the work by dragging samples of the materials behind boats and allowing white and tiger sharks to bite the samples.

The bites from such large sharks can still cause internal and crushing injuries, but the materials showed effectiveness beyond a standard neoprene wetsuit, the scientists said.

The research found that the bite-resistant materials “can reduce injuries sustained from shark encounters,” said Flinders professor Charlie Huveneers, a member of the Southern Shark Ecology Group at Flinders and a study co-au-

damage following a shark bite on standard neoprene at Neptune Island Group

thor “Bite-resistant material do not prevent shark bites, but can reduce injuries from shark bites and can be worn by surfers and divers,” Huveneers said.

There were small differences between the four tested materials, but they all “reduced the amount of substantial and critical damage, which would typically be associated with severe hemorrhaging and tissue or limb loss,” said Tom Clarke, a researcher with the science and engineering college at Flinders and a study co-author

Chainmail suits to resist shark bites have existed for decades, but lack in flexibility for aquatic activities like surfing and diving, the scientists said in research published in the journal Wildlife Research last week. Newer wetsuits can be designed to provide flexibility as well as protection

The scientists tested the efficacy of wetsuit materials

Aqua Armour, Shark Stop, ActionTX-S and Brewster

The scientists said in their paper that they found that all of the materials “offer an improved level of protection that can reduce severe wounds and blood loss, and should be considered as part of the toolbox and measures available to reduce sharkbite risk and resulting injuries.”

The promise of effective shark resistant wetsuits is encouraging for people who spend a lot of time in areas where there are large sharks, said Nick Whitney, a senior scientist and chair of the Fisheries Science and Emerging Technologies Program at the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life in Boston. That includes surfers and spearfishers, he said. Whitney, who was not involved in the study, said it’s also encouraging that the materials are unlikely to make a person “feel invincible” and engage in risky behaviors around sharks.

“I also like it because it’s not relying on any impact on the shark’s behavior,” Whitney said. “It’s basically very, very simple. In the extremely rare event that you get bitten by a shark, this material will hopefully make you bleed less than you would if you were not wearing this.”

The researchers said the suits do not eliminate all risks from sharks, and precautions still need to be taken around the animals.

But they are hopeful their research will help the public “make appropriate decisions about the suitability of using these products,” Huveneers said.

Some of Grand Canyon’s North Rim to open

By The Associated Press

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK,

Ariz. — Portions of the Grand Canyon’s North Rim will reopen soon after a wildfire destroyed a historic lodge and dozens of structures, the National Park Service announced last week.

Daytime access will begin Oct. 1 to locations including Point Imperial, the park’s highest overlook at the eastern end of the Grand Canyon, and the Cape Royal

overlook, the park service said.

Those areas will remain open through Nov 30, but they could close sooner if there is significant snowfall. The more remote North Rim historically is open seasonally, while the park’s South Rim is open year-round.

Grand Canyon officials say much of the North Rim, including popular trails, will be closed for the foreseeable future because of safe-

ty concerns and recovery efforts from the wildfire. Hazards include dead standing trees and an increased risk for flash

ing even outside the fire scar the park service said. Visitors also should be prepared with food, water

Lacoste& Youngearns Best of BatonRouge honorand strong reputation with

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By Amanda McElfresh| amcelfresh@theadvocate.com

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Amishexperienceautism, take Tylenol, expertssay

BY KAYLA YUP

The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS)

PHILADELPHIA Braxton

Mitchell has worked with the Amish for 30 years as co-director of the Amish Research Clinic in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He can say fora fact thatautism exists in thecommunity,contrary to President Donald Trump’s statement Monday that the Amish have “essentially no autism.”

Trump’sremarks perpetuate afalse belief that autism rates are lower among the Amish, amisconception that Mitchell says resurfaces periodically.The reality,hesays, is that there is no good data on rates of the neurological disorder in the Amish.

But he knows firsthand from workingwith Amish people in the Lancaster area that they,too, struggle with autism.

“There have not been any good studies to ascertain what the frequencyis, so we don’treally know,but anecdotally,yes, there is autism in the Amish,” said Mitchell, agenetic epidemiologist.

He did aliterature search within thelast six months andfound only onestudy that didasystematicassessment of autisminthe Amish.

The study screened 1,899 Amish children across two communitiesinHolmes County,Ohio,and ElkhartLagrange County,Indiana, accordingto preliminary data presented at the InternationalMeeting for Autism Research in 2010. They found arate of approximately 1in271 children That was lower than the

general population’sestimated prevalence of 1in 91 at thetime; however, the difference could have been duetocaregiversanswering screening questions differently due to “cultural norms and customs,” the paper noted.

“It certainlydispelsthe myth that thereisnoautism in the Amish, at thevery least,” Mitchell said.

Autismmay be underdiagnosed among the Amish because they tend to handle healthissuesinternally

Trump’s‘toughitout’anexample of menopining on women’spain

‘Itdismissed women’spainand therealdanger that exists’

BY LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press

From the pulpit of the presidency,DonaldTrump offered some advice to pregnant women: “Tough it out” before taking Tylenol.

Nine times in all, Trump said expectant mothers should suffer through their discomfort instead of reaching for acetaminophen —or paracetamol in countries outside the U.S. —tocure their fevers or headaches, despite thedrug being one of the few painkillers that pregnant women are allowed to take.

“Fight like hell not to take it,” Trump instructedata Monday news conference meant to address autism. He added that if pregnant women absolutely have to take

Tylenol, that’ll be something that they “work out with themselves.”

What manywomen and experts heardwas thelatestexample of aman telling women how much physical pain they should endure —and an age-oldeffort to blame mothers for their babies’ autism.

“His use of ‘tough itout’ really was infuriating because itdismissed women’s pain and the real danger that exists with feverand miscarriage during pregnancy,” said women’srights advocate and social media influencer Amanda Tietz, a 46-year-old mom of three in Wisconsin, in anemail. “Not to mentionthe pain we can experience in pregnancy that can be debilitating.”

Others saw aman opining —again, without evidence that maternaluse ofTylenol causes autism or ADHD in children—onmothers,childrenwith disabilities and their health at atime when studies show painsuffered by womenisfrequently dis-

missed. Women’shealthand their autonomy are especially fraught issuesinthe wake of the Supreme Court decisionin2022 to strip away constitutional protections for abortion,adeeply personal change for Americans nearlya half century after Roev.Wade. Thedebate now roils state legislatures nationwide.

“Yesterday 5powerful men stoodtogether in the WH and shamed: Pregnant women, told to ‘tough it out’through pain; Moms of autistickids, blamed for theirchild’s condition; Autistic people, called broken&inneed of fixing,” Trump’sformer surgeon general, JeromeAdams, postedonsocial media.“Can we allbekinder and less stigmatizing?”

Three women also spoke at Monday’snews conference and thanked Trump: Dorothy Fink, the acting assistantsecretary at HHS; and Jackie O’Brienand Amanda Rumer, two mothers who said theyhave autistic children.

within theircommunities, and seek professional medicalcare only forpressing problems, Mitchell said. Some may notconsider behavioralhealth issuessuch as autism an emergency medical concern. Many also do nothavehealth insurance, which means they pay out of pocket any time they go to thedoctor He addedthatit’shardto comparethe study’sprevalence rate with the general population because the study only looked at Amish children and didnot use the same autism screening tool to assess the generalpopulation.

That would be like giving different tests to students in aclass andthentrying to rankthem by theirscores. The questions should be standardized to ensurean accurate comparison.

“What youwouldreally

need to do is administer that samequestionnaire, maybe,tothe generalpopulation, and see what youget,” Mitchell said. Therefore, the data isn’t enough proof of there being lower rates of autism.

Administration zeros in on autism At aWhite House news conference on Monday,the Trumpadministration announced sweeping actions to address rising rates of autism.Without presenting scientific proof, Trump saidthat Tylenol should not be usedduring pregnancy, claiming that it increases theriskofthe child developing autism.

Medical societies anda Drexelscientistwho conducted alarge-scale study on the topic disagreed.

Trump also impliedthat vaccines and medications could be causes of autism.

“There arecertain groups of people that don’ttake vaccines and don’ttake any pills, that have no autism,” Trumpsaid. “Does that tellyou something?” he added. He pointed to the Amish community as an example.

But many Amish people do get vaccinated and use Tylenol, Mitchell said. Amish people also aren’t immune to disease. They have higher rates of rare genetic disorders due to their community descending from only afew hundred settlers andbeing largely isolated.

The Clinic forSpecial Children in Lancaster was specifically foundedin1989 to help Amish and Mennonite people with these diseases, someofthe mostnotable being atype of dwarfism called Ellis-van Creveld syndrome and metabolic disorders.

There’snothing like gettingout on thewater alongthe Northshore,where Lake Pontchartrain andits surroundingwaterways offer endless opportunitiesfor adventureand relaxation

Whether you’re seekingthe thrill of discoveryof thepeace of awaterside sunset,the Northshore promises both joyand unforgettable memories

SwampTours

HoneyIslandSwamp on thenortheast edge of St.Tammany Parish features pristine beauty lush nature andabundantwildlife. Alligators can be seen sunningthemselves on logs or watching warily from thebanks –unlessyourtourguide luresthemcloserwitha fewspecial nutritious pellets! Also be on thelookout forturtles,eagles, snowywhite egrets,heronsand nutria

Make themostofyourtripbybooking aHoney Island Swamptourinadvance.Mosttours run abouttwo hours. CajunEncountersTourCo. brings visitors outonaflat-bottomedboat, while HoneyIslandKayak Toursletsmoreadventurousexplorers getright on thewater Waterfront Parks

FontainebleauState Park in Mandeville and Fairview-Riverside StateParkinMadisonvillebothare greatspots to enjoythe crispfall weatherinLouisiana

Locatedonthe northshore of Lake Pontchartrain, Fontainebleauspans more than 2,800 acresfeaturing ancientliveoaks, scenic trails asandy beach, fishingpiers andmore. Extend your visitwitha lodgingoption, includingcabins, campsitesand RV hookups.

Fairview-Riverside is situated alongthe Tchefuncte River, wherevisitorscan enjoypicnics fishingand boatingfromthe convenientlaunch. A boardwalkwinds throughthe marsh, offering excellentopportunities forwildlifeobservations. Well-maintained campsitesand RV sitesare availablefor longer visits

Lake Pontchartrain

Despiteits name,thisbodyofwater is actually an estuarythatencompasses about630 square miles. Thewater averages12to14feetindepth andisbrackish– mostly freshwater on thewest, butincreasinginsalinity thefarther east yougo. No matter whereyou arealong thelake, there’s somethingtoappreciateabout it In Mandeville,a seawall, restaurantswith a view,a marina andparks letlocals andvisitors make themostofthe lake.Morethanadozen fishingchartersoperate outofSlidell,taking anglersout forthe chance to catchtrout,bull reds andtriple-tail If youneedsomeguidance, numerous fishing charters from Slidellare ledbylocal expertswho arehappy to sharetheir secret spots, favorite baitsand tricks forcatchingthe bigone.Most charters accommodatefourtosix people,leave at dawn andstayout forabout sixhours.Charters generallyprovide allequipment,but it’s agood idea to checkinwiththembeforehandtoensure you’re readyfor theday

OutdoorDining

There’snoshortageofrestaurants along theNorthshorethattakeadvantage of the picturesquesetting with outdoorseating It’s hard to beat thecombination of scenic views, good company, friendlyservice andLouisiana delicacies prepared with freshingredients andlotsoflove. Whetheryou’relooking for family-friendlyoptions,alow-key date nightor aplace to letyourhairdownoverthe weekend, there’sa Northshore restaurant foryou.Some popularwaterside optionsinclude AbitaRoastingCompany,AperitifSpritz& Bites, GilliGil’s Island,Morton’sSeafood Restaurant and Bar, Palmettosonthe Bayou, Rips on theLake, TheAnchor, TheWakehouse andTRiver’s Barand Grill.

As fears mount, lawyer aids immigrant families

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

Lately, Amy Dudgeon has been hearing from immigrant families in Louisiana who say they’re scared to leave their homes. Many have young children who worry their parents will be gone when they get home from school.

Dudgeon is president of the New Neighbor Project, a group she founded during the pandemic when she saw a need for accessible English classes for immigrant families in the greater New Orleans area. The group offers online and in-person English and citizenship classes and works with immigrants to apply for scholarships that can create a pathway to citizenship.

But starting in January, Dudgeon said she began to see a decrease in the number of Spanishspeaking students attending the group’s classes. She blames a growing climate of fear stemming from the Trump administration’s aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration. This month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that immigration agents can, for now, stop people based on their race or language.

“We’ve had a big shift in who’s attending our classes,” Dudgeon said. “Now people are more focused on staying close to home.”

Dudgeon has worked with immigrant families since she began teaching English learner classes as a student at the University of Louisville in Kentucky Many of her students had advanced degrees in their home countries but struggled to find good jobs in the U.S. due to a language barrier

She eventually earned a law degree and worked as an immigra-

Q&A WITH AMy DUDGEON

PRESIDENT OF THE NEW NEIGHBOR PROJECT

tion lawyer for more than three decades, while also coordinating English language services for the nonprofit Catholic Charities.

The Times-Picayune recently spoke with Dudgeon about how the federal government’s policies are affecting students from immigrant families and what can be done to support them.

“Community is so important right now,” she said. “Children need people they feel safe around.”

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity

What changes have you noticed with the families that your group serves?

We’re seeing a decline in enrollment of Spanish-speaking families in our English learning classes. Families are scared to leave their homes because there’s a not-small chance they could get detained, and kids are scared they’re never going to see their parents again. That’s traumatic for them

I’ve also been worried about doing any kind of promotion, like ‘Hey, we have a large group of immigrants here at this class.’

But a lot of people in our classes, including a lot of the kids, are already U.S citizens; they just need to work on their English a little bit.

How has the immigration crackdown affected students?

What happens with teenagers who don’t speak English and who have this kind of trauma is that they become disillusioned They tend to not want to go to school, and they just don’t show up. Then

they get in trouble. And these kids are also dealing with the risk of getting picked up (by immigration agents).

There have been a lot of recent labor law changes, too. I see a lot of kids, 16, 17 years old, and they’re not getting support at school. They have to go to work, and they drop out of school to do that, and we know what the outcomes are for kids who drop out.

That’s why it’s so important to make sure they have a support system at school, and that the school knows about what’s going on with them.

What are you hearing from the collegeage students you work with?

We work with around 30 kids each semester What we’re hearing from them now is that it’s definitely a different climate.

I know recently there have been questions about international students (having their visas revoked), and they were feeling uncomfortable. They had a lot of questions: Should I carry my passport with me? Should I carry my green card with me? What do I do if I get stopped? Is it safe to go to this neighborhood? Those are the kinds of questions we’re getting.

What do you tell students who are worried about being stopped?

I just tell them that I don’t think they need to carry their green card around — if they have a driver’s license, that works. But I also tell students to do what makes them feel comfortable. Don’t put yourself in any situation that makes you feel unsafe.

Do you have any advice for teachers about how to support students who may be feeling scared?

I recently talked to some educators about the need to offer online general education classes for these kids, kind of like what schools did during COVID. What we’ve seen for online classes for (the New Neighbor Project) is that a family will be attending regularly and then not show up for weeks. When they do show back up, they’re dialing in from somewhere like Honduras or El Salvador after being deported. The whole family will be there, and they’re still trying to connect with us. As far as K-12 goes, I don’t know how schools are going to navigate taking care of these kids when the environment for them is so hostile. I think public schools’ hands are somewhat tied as far as what they’re able to do. All I can really do is offer to have students

WE’RE ASKING EXPERTS ACROSS THE STATE HOW TO TACKLE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING LOUISIANA SCHOOLS.

come take our classes.

What resources do you want families to know about?

We are working with schools in the area to find other solutions. We’ve expanded our online class offerings, and we’re talking with Delgado about options. We still do work with Catholic Charities, Tulane, some of the local

ties. We also work with mental health professionals and the correctional system, and we’ve always tried to make resources available to families. If a family seems like they’re in trouble or they need anything at all, like help finding health insurance, our organization has a group of people who attend our English classes in person, and they talk to those families about where we can refer them.

Email Elyse Carmosino at ecarmosino@theadvocate.com.

Researcher

PROVIDED PHOTO By MARCELOLUNA

off aclawbelonging to atypeofdinosaur called a

Scientists discover anew dinosaur from Argentina

It hadacrocodile bone in itsmouth andclaws to captureprey

BY ADITHIRAMAKRISHNAN AP science writer

NEW YORK Scientists have discovered anew dinosaur from Argentinawithpowerful claws, feasting on an ancient crocodile bone.

The new find was possibly 23 feet long and hailed fromamysterious group of dinosaurs called megaraptorans.Theyprowled across what’snow South America, Australia and parts of Asia, splitting off into different species over millions of years.

Megaraptoranswere known fortheir stretchedout skulls and “huge and very powerful claws,” said Lucio Ibiricu with the Patagonian Institute of Geology and Paleontology,who was part of the discovery team. But it’snot yet clear how these creatures hunted and where they fallonthe evolutionarytimeline mainly because the fossils recovered so far were incomplete. In anew study, researchers said they uncovered part of askull as well as arm, legand tail bones from the Lago Colhué Huapi rock formation in Patagonia. They noticed unique featuresinthe bonesthatmade them realize this could be a new species.

This latest member of the megaraptoran clan named Joaquinraptorcasali“fills amajor gap by providing

oneofthe most complete skeletonsyet,” Federico Agnolin with theArgentine Museum ofNaturalScience Bernardino Rivadavia said in an email. Agnolin wasnot involved with the research, which was published Tuesday in thejournal Nature Communications. The creature likely lived between66and 70million years ago —close to the time dinosaurs went extinct —and was at least 19 years old when it died,though scientists don’tknowwhat killed it.

The front legbone

pressedagainst itsjaws belonging to an ancientrelativeofcrocodiles— could yield some cluestoits diet andwhether it was thetop predator on the humid prehistoricflood plains.

Ibiricu named the new dinosaur in memoryofhis sonJoaquin. While Joaquin was very young andhadn’t yet developed afascination withdinosaurs, Ibiricu still thinks he would have appreciated being named after one.

“All children love dinosaurs so he would probably be afan too,” he said.

BY ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN AP science writer

NEWYORK— An undersea submersible hasspotted crabs,worms and fishthriving on the surfaces of World WarIIexplosivesthought to be toxic to marine life.

At aformer weapons dump site in the Baltic Sea, scientists found more creatures living on top of warheads than in thesurrounding seabed.

“Wewerepreparedtosee significantly lowernumbers of all kinds of animals,” said study author Andrey Vedenin with theSenckenberg ResearchInstitute in Germany.“But it turnedout the opposite.”

Past conflictshave left their markonthe world’s oceans, Vedenin said. German watersalone contain

about1.6 million tons of dumped weapons, mostly fromthe twoworldwars in the 20thcentury.Dumped relics can contain nuclear andchemicalremnants as well as explosives like TNT

It’s thelatestexample of wildlife flourishing in polluted sites. Previous research has shown shipwrecks and former weapons complexes teeming with biodiversity

In the study,researchers filmed networks of anemones, starfish and other underwaterlife in theBay of Lübeck off the coast of Germany.They were lurking on pieces of V-1flying bombs used by Nazi Germany

“Normally,one does not studythe ecologyofbombs,” said University of Georgia ecologist James Porter,who was not involved with the research.

The research waspublished Thursday in the journal Communications Earth and Environment.

Why would sea creatures maketheir homeoncontaminated weapons? They could be drawntothe hard surfaces, whichare in short supply in theBalticSea. The seafloor is mainly aflat bed of mud and sand because stonesand boulders were fished out of the water for construction in the 1800s and 1900s, Vedenin said. The area is also fairly isolated from human activity because of the chemicals, creating asomewhatprotective bubble for the critters to thrive despite some toxic tradeoffs.

Scientists hope to calculate how much contamination was absorbedbysea life.

GULF COAST

Historic, longtime Biloxi burger spot closes it doors

The place began with a N.O. musician and a secret recipe

BY MARY PEREZ Sun Herald

A historic Mississippi Coast hamburger spot beloved by locals, tourists and celebrities has shuttered.

The owners of Burger Burger, at 1039 Howard Ave. in downtown Biloxi, have retired. The restaurant, a division of Sablich Enterprises, is no longer serving its famous Burger Burgers and Southern cooking, the company said Biloxi Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich, who ate there often, said the restaurant “has been part of the fabric of Biloxi for years.”

The story started in 1927, when New Orleans jazz musician Abbie Brunies and his wife, Mildred, brought their Burger Burger recipe to Biloxi and opened Abbie’s Little Diner on Benachi Avenue.

Their 18-inch burger was covered in a secret sauce and topped with yellow mustard and chopped raw onions, according to “A brief history of Biloxi burgers.”

“Traditionally fries and a Barq’s root beer accompanied this glorious treat,” the history says. Forty years later in 1987, Biloxi native Martha Ann Ebberman bought the diner and the trademark recipe from the Brunies.

The Elvis Presley connection

This was long after Ebberman, whose stage name was Ann Rae, met Elvis Presley when they performed at a show at Jesuit High School in New Orleans in 1955. She convinced her father, promoter Frank “Yankie” Barhanovich Sr., to book the young Presley on the Coast. He did, and according to Sun Herald accounts. Barhanovich staged the Coast’s first Elvis show at the Slavonian Lodge in Biloxi on June 26, 1955. Presley was impressed with how

Barhanovich managed the career of his teenage daughter, who sang for Decca Records, and once asked Barhanovich to manage his career

From singing to cooking

Ebberman kept the diner open until 1993 and then continued to serve Burger Burgers at an Ocean Springs restaurant.

In a Biloxi comeback, she partnered with businessman Jamie Sablich to open Burger Burger in

January 2001 in a house on Howard Avenue.

“This quaint, comfortable little house takes us back to a time when all-wood buildings would be filled with that wonderful atmosphere, great conversation, and, of course, one of the best burgers, sandwiches and breakfast choices in all of Biloxi,” the history of Biloxi burgers says.

Other daily specials might be fried bologna, catfish, chicken and dumplings, liver and onions and crawfish pasta.

Ebberman became as accomplished in the kitchen as she was on the stage. In addition to the old-fashioned and jalapeño cheese Burger Burgers, her customers had favorites like fried pork chops, cabbage dressing and unusual breakfast biscuits like hamburger steak biscuit smothered in brown gravy or with creole crawfish étouffée.

“Grab a root beer float or a slice of one of Mrs Martha’s homemade pies, cakes or cobblers,” a Facebook post invited.

What’s next?

It’s uncertain what will happen to the Burger Burger recipe and the now-empty building where so many of these hamburgers were devoured. “If it doesn’t come back, we’ll certainly miss its history in Biloxi,” the mayor said.

It also helps to combat staffing shortages

BY HALLIE GOLDEN Associated Press

Days after Meagan BrazilSheehan’s 6-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia, they were walking down the halls of UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center when they ran into Robin the Robot.

“Luca how are you?” it asked in a high-pitched voice programmed to sound like a 7-year-old girl. “It’s been a while.”

Brazil-Sheehan said they had only met the 4-foot-tall robot with a large screen displaying cartoonlike features once before, after they were admitted several days earlier

“His face lit up,” she said about the interaction in June in Worcester, Massachusetts. “It was so special because she remembered him.”

Robin is an artificial intelligence-powered therapeutic robot programmed to act like a little girl as it provides emotional support at nursing homes and hospital pediatric units while helping combat staffing shortages. Five years after launching in the U.S., it has become a familiar face in 30 health care facilities in California, Massachusetts, New York and Indiana.

“Nurses and medical staff are really overworked, under a lot of pressure, and unfortunately, a lot of times they don’t have capacity to provide engagement and connection to patients,” said Karen Khachikyan, CEO of Expper Technologies, which developed the robot. “Robin helps to alleviate that part for them.”

As AI increasingly becomes a part of daily life, it’s found a foothold in medical care — providing everything from note-taking during exams to electronic nurses. While heralded by some for the efficiency it brings others worry about its impact on patient care.

Robin is about 30% autonomous, while a team of operators working remotely controls the rest under the watchful eyes of clinical staff.

Khachikyan said that with each interaction, they’re able to collect more data while still complying with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA — and get closer to it being able to function independently

“Imagine a pure emotional intelligence like WALL-E. We’re trying to create that,” he said, referencing the 2008 animated film.

Making its rounds

On a recent Friday, a staff member at HealthBridge Children’s Hospital in Orange County, California, read off a list of patients she needed Robin to visit, along with the amount of time to spend with each one.

The robot, with a sleek white triangle-shaped frame that Khachikyan said was designed for hugging, rolled into a room with a teenager injured in a car accident.

The robot played what it described as its favorite song

“No Fear” by DeJ Loaf — and he danced along. In the hallway, Robin cracked up a young child held by her mother when it put on a series of silly glasses and a big red nose. In another room, the robot played a simplified version of tic-tac-toe with a patient.

Samantha da Silva, speech language pathologist at the hospital, said patients light up when Robin comes into their room and not only remembers their names but also their favorite music.

“She brings joy to everyone,” da Silva said. “She walks down the halls, everyone loves to chat with her, say hello.”

Robin mirrors the emotions of the person it is talking with, explained Khachikyan. If the patient is laughing, then the robot laughs along, but if they’re sharing something difficult, its face reflects sadness and empathy.

In nursing homes, Robin plays memory games with people suffering from dementia, takes them through breathing exercises on difficult days and offers them a form of companionship that resembles a grandchild with a grandparent.

Khachikyan recalled a moment last year at a facility in Los Angeles where a woman was having a panic attack and asked specifically for the robot. Robin played songs by her favorite musician and videos of her favorite animal — Elvis Presley and puppies until she had calmed down

But with the Association of American Medical Colleges projecting that the U.S. will face a shortage of up to 86,000 physicians in the next 11 years, Khachikyan’s vision for Robin goes far beyond this type of support He said they’re working to make the robot able to measure patients’ vitals and check to see how they’re

doing and then send that information to their medical team. Long-term plans include designing Robin to help elderly patients change their clothes and go to the bathroom.

“Our goal is to design the next evolution of Robin; that Robin will take more and more responsibilities and become even more essential part of care delivery,” Khachikyan said.

He clarified that it’s not about replacing health care workers but about filling in the gaps in the workforce.

At UMass Memorial Children’s, the robot is very much a part of a team of support for patients. When Luca needed an IV after not getting one in a while, Micaela Cotas, a certified child life specialist came in with the robot and showed him an IV and what was about to happen, and then Robin played a cartoon of it getting an IV put in.

“It just kind of helps show that Robin has gone through those procedures as well, just like a peer,” Cotas said.

Finding its niche

Robin was developed by Khachikyan while he was getting his Ph.D He said growing up in a single-parent household in Armenia had been lonely, so years later he wanted to build a type of robot that could act as a person’s friend.

Developers tested it in a variety of industries before an investor suggested that pediatric hospitals would be a good fit because of the stress and loneliness children often feel.

“That was kind of an aha moment,” he said. “We decided, OK, let’s try it.”

They had success introducing it at a pediatric hospital in Armenia and by 2020 launched a pilot program at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital.

Since Robin was created, its personality and character have changed significantly based on the responses from people it interacts with.

Khachikyan gave the example of Robin’s answer to the question: “What is your favorite animal?” Initially

they tried having the robot respond with dog. They also tried cat But when they tried chicken, the children cracked up. So they stuck with it.

“We created Robin’s personality by really taking users into the equation,” he said “So we often say that Robin was designed by users.”

Adviser brings efficiency skills to schools

Board members praise Pamela Whitley’s facilities work

BY CHARLES LUSSIER Staff writer

When LaMont Cole made his successful, last-minute bid to become Baton Rouge schools superintendent, Pamela Whitley was watching remotely Whitley followed her old family friend as Cole stepped into that whirlwind, ending what had been a long, rancorous search for a new top educational leader in the capi-

Livingston Parish improves federal flood rating

Residents should see discount on insurance premiums

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

Livingston Parish residents will soon see their flood insurance premiums drop by 15% after the parish successfully improved its federal flood rating.

Beginning in April, Livingston residents will get a discount that will come to more than $1 million annually, said Parish President Randy Delatte.

After working at it for years, the parish announced in late August that it had achieved a FEMA Community Rating System (CRS) of Class 7. The CRS is a voluntary FEMA program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management practices such as local mitigation A lower CRS class rating means a higher discount on flood insurance for a parish. Livingston Parish has been on a long journey to improve its CRS class. The parish had a Class 9 rating in the early 2000s, which gave a 5% discount on insurance premiums. After the 2016 flood, however, the parish went up to a Class 10 rating and lost the discount.

“This isn’t just a rating. It’s proof that when we work together, we do more than fix roads and bridges,” Delatte said in a social media post. Improving the class rating has required the parish to work with FEMA on a community audit, inspections and fixing any potential violations, he said.

“When we took office, we made a promise we would not forget. We would fight to protect families from ever facing that kind of loss again,” Delatte said. Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple applauded Livingston and Jefferson parishes. In a news release Wednesday, he said the parish leaders deserve recognition for their work to reduce flood insurance costs.

“These achievements are a direct result of their dedicated efforts to build stronger and more resilient communities,” Temple said in the release. “Their proactive approach to reducing flood risk aligns with the Louisiana Department of Insurance’s broader goal of creating a more resilient Louisiana to make insurance affordable in our great state.”

Delatte said there’s another FEMA discount available to Livingston residents Starting Wednesday, if an air conditioner, furnace, hot water heater or solar battery system is elevated above the first floor or built at a base flood elevation, homeowners can qualify for a 5% discount on flood insurance.

“These combined changes mean your insurance bill can go down even more,” Delatte said.

tal city

Fourteen months later, Whitley is one of Cole’s closest advisers.

Her name, though, is not on any district organizational chart. She is a hired professional. Her contract with the East Baton Rouge Parish school system was recently renewed for a two-year term, through July 2027. The arrangement works out to $105,000 a year for Whitley Last year, Whitley, a Baton

Rouge native and a retired administrator with the Federal Aviation Administration, led the development district and public presentation of a districtwide “realignment plan.” That plan, approved in late April, brought changes to 28 Baton Rouge schools, closing nine of them, and affecting more than 10,000 students and about 1,400 district employees. Her latest contract, which was approved on Sept. 18 by the East

Baton Rouge Parish School Board, continues her facilities work, including the development of a master facilities plan for the state’s second-largest traditional school district.

Cole has given Whitley several new tasks:

n Assessing current data systems, workflows and other district operations. n Recommending ways to better

manage student enrollment and sustain district finances.

n Building public and internal dashboards to enhance transparency and decision-making.

n Helping set up and support an “annual resource prioritization process.”

“She’s going to be doing some internal evaluation of our processes so we can streamline and be more efficient,” Cole explained. “We’re trying to transition from an old way of doing things to a new way,

Night and day

Half of La. households struggle to make ends meet 2023 research measures ‘survival budget’

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer

In 2023, 19% of Louisiana households fell below the federal poverty level, long-considered to be an insufficient measure of an actual cost of living. According to the UnitedForALICE research organization, a more accurate portrayal of families experiencing financial hardship includes an additional 30% of the state’s households.

ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. ALICE represents the growing number of families across the country with income above the federal poverty line but not high enough to afford basic expenses in the parishes where they live. Including both those living below the federal poverty level and those considered to be ALICE, an estimated 50% of households in Louisiana were struggling to make ends meet

in 2023 — and living below the ALICE threshold (the minimum cost to live and work in today’s economy in each parish). The federal poverty level is based on the cost of food alone and does not reflect rising housing, insurance, child care, technology and other costs. For example, in 2025, the federal poverty level for a family of four is $32,150. The ALICE threshold survival budget includes costs for housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, technology, taxes and an additional 10% miscellaneous category

The estimated budget does not include savings of any kind

In 2023, household costs in every parish in Louisiana were above the federal poverty level of $14,580 for a single adult and $30,000 for a family of four Louisiana’s statewide average household cost in 2023 was $29,316 for a single adult and $69,672 for a family of four (this figure reflects a family of four without child care). The estimated household cost for a family of four with two children in child care was $81,432. These parishes had the highest percentages of households below the ALICE threshold,

including those below the federal poverty level, in descending order:

n East Carroll Parish with 75% of 2,508 total households experiencing financial hardship.

n Claiborne Parish with 73% of 5,019 total households experiencing financial hardship.

n Madison Parish with 70% of 3,020 total households experiencing financial hardship.

n Tensas Parish with 66% of 1,629 total households experiencing financial hardship.

n Bienville Parish with 65% of 5,425 total households experiencing financial hardship.

n Webster Parish with 64% of 14,761 total households experiencing financial hardship.

n Concordia Parish with 64% of 6,575 total households experiencing financial hardship.

n Avoyelles Parish with 63% of 14,540 total households experiencing financial hardship.

n Morehouse Parish with 63% of 9,779 total households experiencing financial hardship.

n Lincoln Parish with 62% of 18,341 total households experiencing financial hardship.

BY IANNE SALVOSA Staff writer

Mental health care services assessed in Lafayette

AcadianaCrisis Recovery Center couldimprove access

BY STEPHENMARCANTEL

Staff writer

Lafayette city and parish leaders, legislators and community stakeholders are exploring ways to strengthen access to behavioral health services

The Acadiana Crisis Recovery Center would operate as acentralized intervention system,connecting individuals with mental health issues or substance abuse problems with community resourcesand help Theproject hasrecentlyentered a

formal assessment stage, bringing stakeholders together to identify community needs

“This conversation in terms of the needs of something like acrisis recovery center has been talked about among various stakeholdersinthe Lafayette area for quite sometime, even before Ibecame involved,” said stateRep. Annie Spell, of Lafayette.“It’s been aconversation within ourhealthcaresystem, withinour city government andwithinsomeof our private partners.”

The goal nowitfindout what services in Lafayetteare lacking, what already exist,and how to get allthesemovingpiecestoworktogether under one roof while being able to sustain itself, officials said.

A2024 Community Health Needs

Assessment noted alack of adequate access to care not onlyinLafayette but also for much of Acadiana.

Once allthe gaps and needs are mapped out, thenextstepisfiguring outhow to make theprojectsustainableinthe longterm —which isn’t entirelyclear at the moment.

“We’re still looking at those types of pieces of information,” Spell said. “It’savery activemoment,right? So, formetosay we’ve identified those particular variables, Icannot say that we have yet, right? It’s something we’reputting acritical eye on.”

In therecent legislativesession, Spell was abletoget $125,000 appropriated to initiate theassessment. Other funding sources include $60,000from Lafayette

N.O. homelessnumbers rising

Fewerare on the streets,moreare living in shelters

BY BEN MYERS Staff writer

Increased efforts by New Orleans-areaservice providerstoprovide permanent housing for homeless people over the last two years have yielded mixed results:While fewer people are living on thestreet, more are living in shelters andthe rate of homelessness continues to rise

That is according to the most recent “point in time” count conductedby UNITY of Greater New Orleans, which coordinates homeless outreach services in New Orleans and Jefferson Parish. The count of people living outside and in shelters in those areas is conducted every January,but theresults released on Friday camelater thisyear to include an additional partial count in July

The annual count from January found atotalof 1,563 homeless individuals living outside and in shelters, a7.5% increaseover last year,marking the fifth consecutive year of rising homelessness. Thatreflects an increase in people living in shelters, from 970 to 1128. At the same time,the number of people observed living outside fell from 553to435 over the last two years. That number dipped abit more after an additional count of unsheltered people in July, when 422 people were counted.

“Staying in ashelter is alot better than being on the street, but it’sstill homelessness. These are our fellow neighbors who do not have ahome,” said UNITY Executive Director Martha Kegel, addressing the organization’sannual meeting on Friday at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church. While homelessness overall continues to rise,

UNITY and Mayor LaToya Cantrell’sadministration say the24% decline in streethomelessness over the last two yearsshows progress in thecity’s “Homefor Good”campaign, whichlaunchedin 2023 with the goal of placing1,500 people in permanent housing. That effort, fundedin part with a$15 million federal grant, has resulted in permanent housing for 1,326 peopleasofAugust, according to aprogram website.

This year’s data included an anomaly thatmay have inflated the shelteredcount: The temporary shelter the state set up in January justbefore thecount got underway Theshelter was part of Gov. Jeff Landry’spush to move homeless people from downtownstreets ahead of Super Bowl LIX.

The point-in-time count included 180 people staying at the temporary shelter, which closed in March, according to UNITY Still, the additionalcount of unsheltered people in Julyisconsistent withthe one in January.UNITY is planning morefrequent unsheltered countsmovingforward,including another one before the endofthe year,accordingtoUNITY Community Engagement Director Joe Hereen-Mueller Kegel pointed to continuously increasing rental prices, combined with a high poverty rate, as a cause of homelessness Fair market rent for a one-bedroom apartment in NewOrleans this year is $1,236, a23% increase overthe last two years, according to federal data. Meanwhile, nearly onequarter of NewOrleans residents live below the poverty line, according to theFederal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

“There’salot of people justabove that poverty line, including young people who can’t afford those rents either,”Kegel said.

“There’sa lotof people whoare just constantly churninginand out of

homelessness.”

Andreanecia Morris, the executive director of HousingNOLA, an affordable housing advocacy group that is part of UNITY’scoalition, said the annual point-in-timecount is important foraccounting forpeople experiencing certain kinds of homelessness,but does notaccount for thousands of others who lack permanent housing.

Thoseinclude children “doubledup” with friends or extended family members after family evictions and adults who couch surf, she said.

“Wecan’tforget about some of the folks whoare not counted in thetraditional way,” Morris said.

UNITY says 95% of the people housed through its programs remain housed withthe help of casemanagerswho coordinate support services, although Odyssey HouseExecutive Director Ed Carlson —whose agency runs the city’slowbarrier shelter —said he is skeptical of that figure.

He saidUNITY needs to do more to make sure people placed in housing receive the support they need to stayoff thestreet.

“I’dbecurious how many of those people were housed and then got unhoused again,”Carlson said, referring to people observed in thepoint-intime count.“Youcan’t just putpeople in housing andjust leavethem there.”

Hereen-Mueller,ofUNITY,said98ofthe 1,563 people countedinJanuaryhad previously been housed through aUNITY program. Alarge majority of those who hadalreadybeen housed —80 —werelivinginshelters, he said.

“Weappreciate constructive criticism from ourpartners.And when it comes to people whoare housed needing support, we are totally in agreement withthat,” HereenMueller said.

Staff writer Sophie Kasakove contributed to this story

Consolidated Government and $106,500 from the National Opioid Settlement Funds,said Christina Dayries, Mayor-PresidentMonique Boulet’schief of staff.

An operation similartowhatthe Acadiana Crisis RecoveryCenter is proposing brieflyexisted in the city with the Ness Center,run by a northshore-based behavioral health provider

It was the selected state vendor to provide mobile crisis response for the region followinga settlement between the state and the U.S. Department of Justice, accordingto Dayries. The Ness Center closed in late 2023 after failing to strike a partnership deal with the Lafayette PoliceDepartment amid backlash from local providers.

The Acadiana Crisis Recovery Center is taking adifferent approach by allowing those providers and organizations to be part of its creation andbelocally driven, Dayries said.

One thing the center hopes to accomplish,ifrealized,istoalleviate some of the pressure on law enforcement and local emergency rooms to handlepeople having a mental crisis, in turn freeingupresources, said Boulet.

“Rightnow,it’seitherthe jail or the emergency room, andneither one of those really is whatthose situations call for.We’re trying to look at allour communityresources. What do we have? Andwhat can we leveragetofill thatgap?” Boulet said.

STRUGGLE

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n Jackson Parish with 62% of 5,602 total households experiencing financial hardship.

n St. Helena Parish with 62% of 4,101 total households experiencing financial hardship.

These parishes with the lowest percentagesofhouseholds below the ALICE threshold, including those below the federal poverty level, in ascending order are:

n Cameron Parishwith33% of 2,034 total households experiencing financial hardship.

n West Baton RougeParish with 37% of 10,400 total

OLOL

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said. The 4,000-square-foot property was listed earlier this month for lease.The clinic opened in 2020 to provide primary care in Mid

households experiencing financial hardship.

n Ascension Parish with 38% of 48,526 total households experiencing financial hardship.

n BossierParish with 40% of 54,151 totalhouseholdsexperiencing financialhardship.

n Plaquemines Parish with 41% of 8,200 totalhouseholds experiencing financialhardship.

n West Feliciana Parish with 42% of 3,911 totalhouseholds experiencing financial hardship.

n St. Tammany Parish with 43% of 106,164 total households experiencing financial hardship.

n Livingston Parish with 43% of 55,653 total house-

Lady of the Lake Physician GroupInternal Medicine at Picardy opened in 2017 to expand primary careaccessinthe greater BatonRouge area. Our Lady of the Lake also has aclinic at Independence Park. Patient Plus and LSU Health have urgent care clinicsinMid City

holds experiencing financial hardship.

n St.Charles Parishwith 43% of 18,622 total households experiencing financial hardship.

n Terrebonne Parish with 44% of 42,203 total households experiencing financial hardship.

n Beauregard Parish with 44% of 13,691 total households experiencing financial hardship.

n LaSalleParishwith44% of 4,883 total householdsexperiencing financialhardship. Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com.

LOTTERY

FRIDAY, SEPT.26, 2025 PICK 3: 9-5-4

PICK 4: 0-6-5-3 PICK 5: 1-6-4-3-9

MEGA

Jeffersonschools turn to remote teachers

shesaid in an email.

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

HundredsofJefferson

Parish studentswill be taught math and English by virtual teachers this school year as the district uses online instructors to fillopen positions.

The Jefferson Parish school district willpay Texas-based Proximity Learning$523,000toprovide

certified teachers, who will teach 24 classes of honors algebra and English over live video, according to a contract the School Board approved last month. Students at more than adozen schools will take the online classes,whichcould be taught by teachershundreds of miles away

The district reported 70 teacher vacancies in August, acommon problem for school systems across the country that have long grappled with teacher shortages. To help fill those open positions, someschool districts have turned to virtual instruction.

Many parents and students criticized remote teaching during thepandemic, which they said was less engaging and effective than in-person instruction. Butproponents saythat virtual teachers can be avital resource for school districts that face challenges hiring enough teachers and would otherwise have to cancel classes or use substitute teachers.

“Larger districts are really,really struggling,” said JeffersonParish School Board member Clay Moise. Vrtual teachers

Jefferson Parish schools

firstbegan contracting with Proximity in 2021,when districts across Louisiana were struggling to retain educatorsafter many left theprofession during the COVID-19 pandemic due to lowwages and burnout.

This semester,Proximity is providing the district withfour full-timeAlgebra 1teachers instructing 208 students across 16 schools, as well as five full-time English 1teachers instructing 243 students across15 schools, the district’schief Academic Officer Laura Roussel said. Roussel said the service has enabled the district to maintain honors-level classes that might otherwise have to be canceled because schools have struggled to find educators to teachthose courses.

“Proximityhelps us expand advanced offerings in away that keeps students challenged and engaged,”

Louisiana schools reported nearly1,200 teacher vacancies last year.Inaddition to JeffersonParish, at least two other Louisiana school systems —EastBaton Rouge and St. Helena —have contracted with Proximity to help fill those openings.

Proximity LearningPresidentEvan Erdberg said hiscompany,which uses only certifiedteachers, helps districts avoid relying on substitutes or inexperienced teachers.

“What happens in alot of classroomsistheyjust put asub in long-term who has no math experience, but now that person is in charge of algebra for the year,and those kids aren’t really getting an education,” Erdberg said.

“We’re abletofind the best teacher anywhere in the country,” he added, and place them in schools over video

Students taught by a Proximityteacher attend class in their regular school building, where lessons are livestreamed into classrooms. With the help of an in-personfacilitator, theremoteteachersuse video conferencing, screen sharing and real-time messaging to interactwithstudents.

Because its teachers are based acrossthe country, Proximitypaysfor them to complete the certification process in thestates where they arehired.They are paidbased on experience withsalaries similar to other educators intheir district.

“If we can’tget enough teachers, thenthisassures us thatwecan still have quality teachersin front of these kids,” Moise, the school boardmember, said, “even though it may be on screen.”

Seeing results

An expandingbodyof research suggests that studentswho takeonline classesexperience both benefits andchallenges, including reduced engagement forsomestudents and lowertest scores.

A2019 study of Florida high schoolers who attendedbrick-and-mortar schools but tooksomeonline courses found that students who took courses for the first time sawworse long-term academicresults ifthey attendedthe class virtually.Students in online classes were also lesslikely to take and pass the next course level.

However, the study also found that studentswho retook aclass virtually after failing it the first time were more likely to take and pass the follow-up course. Students alsotended to receivehigher grades in theironline classes,

though researchers were unable to determineifthat was the result of betterstudent performance or easier grading practices.

Studentswho have completed Proximity courses havealso achieved mixed results, according to two available studies that tracked student test scores over the course of two schoolyears.

A2023 report by researchers at Chicago State University,whichProximity Learning commissioned, looked at students’ test scores in Tennessee’sMemphis-Shelby County School District.The district, one of Proximity’s biggest customers, began partnering with the companyin2018.

According to thestudy, students in classes led by Proximity teachers in 2021 had higher scores than those in non-Proximityled classes in eighth grade Englishand science but performed worse in ninth grade English 1and biology. In 2022, Proximity students scored higher than their peers in ninth grade Algebra1and English1 and 2, but performedworse in ninth gradebiology

In aseparateevaluation conductedbythe district, students of Proximity’s virtual teachers were found to perform “significantly lower”on2022-23 endof-course assessments in English,Algebra 1, geometry andbiology than students in traditional classes, though those students also had higher rates of “A,” “B” and “C” grades than their peers within-person teachers.

Despite the mixed outcomes,the researchers hired by the district recommended that theMemphis-Shelby school board renew its agreement with Proximity.Without the contract, they wrote, the district’s middle and high schoolswith hard-to-staff subjects “will not have a certified teacher to provide continuous instruction to students.”

Email ElyseCarmosino at ecarmosino@theadvocate. com.

ADVISER

Continuedfrom page1B

andIneeded aperson on theground.”

Whitley said peoplewith jobs like Cole’s are so busy dealing withasteady streamofdaily crisesthat theycan’tdevote the time they needtoplan forthe future and dive deep into the operations of asystem as complex as the East BatonRouge Parish school district

“The day-to-dayisoverwhelming,” said Whitley “So,unless you have aperson focused on strategy, on long-term things, (the organization) suffers.

Whenher contract came to vote, several boardmembers sang Whitley’spraises.

“You can’t right-size adistrict if you’renot doing the work behind thescenes,” saidboard member Dadrius Lanus.

“We’ve had much success working with her,” said board President Shashonnie Steward.

Board member Patrick Martin Vsaid having one dedicated “right person” doing this work has advantages over “havingalot of overhead from alarge corporation providing services we don’tneed.”

Boardmember Mike Gaudet, who played asimilar roletoWhitleybefore retiring fromAlbemarle, said theschool system badly needs someonewho can help it makebetter use of a newdata system known as City Suites,which school leadershave been slowly rolling outoverthe past few years.

“Weboughtareally nice car and we’re operating it as a1920 Chevrolet,” Gaudet said.

Smallworld

Whitley and Cole know eachother from wayback They bothgrew up in Baton Rouge.Cole was achildhood friend of Whitley’s younger brother Whitley left Baton Rouge in 1987 after getting abach-

elor’s degreeinelectrical engineering from Southern University.She endedup making acareer forherself in Washington, D.C., workingfor the Federal Aviation Administration. Meanwhile, Cole rose in the Baton Rouge educational andpolitical worlds. He becameaprominent middle school principal and spent 13 yearsworking foraBaton Rouge-based charter school group. He was also elected and served nine years on the Metro Council.

The two kept up with each other during her timeaway from Louisiana.

“Is there anyone LaMont doesn’tkeep up with?” Whitley asked, with alaugh. Soon after starting his newjob, Cole wastrying to hire her. He needed help with one of the first tasks he was assigned: school consolidations. It’sanarea whereWhitleyhad ample, relevant expertise.

During herFAA tenure, Whitley ran its NextGeneration Air Transportation System, or NextGen. It’sa section of the federal agency with a$2billionbudget and 900 employees. Much of NextGen’swork involved a25-year effort to upgrade airports and related facilities to accommodate modern technology.Aspart of that effort, some facilities ultimately closed.

Homecoming

Whitleyretiredfrom the FAAin2021tohelp take care of her ailing father, who diedthe following year Whilenot keen on starting another day job —she says it would cause problems with herretirementpension —Whitley agreed to workonaconsulting basis.

She’d already set up a one-person consulting business known as The EdgewoodGroup LLC. In spring 2023, Whitleylandeda ninemonthcontracttoimprove the grant-writing process for East Baton Rouge cityparish government. At that time, Cole was serving as mayor pro tempore forthe Metro Council.

Whitley’sinitial contract

with the school system was for$48,000. That’sjust shy of the $50,000 thresholdabove which contracts need to go before the School Board. While new to the school world personally,education is in her blood. Her grandfather,Milton Charles Simmons, was the principal of Valley Park Junior High. And her mother,Y Jean Whitley,was acareer teacher Whitleysaidshe’s hadto learn new things throughouther career andalso has extensive trainingand experience in leadership.

“For me, it’sabout building arapport andarespect for educators, and then allowing my skill sets to augment their detailed knowledge of education to improve operational efficiency where we can,” she said. One of Whitley’ssignatures is the use of dashboards. For instance, within daysofthe approval of the “realignment” plan, a“Realignment Project Status Dashboard” wasposted online to allow people to track thechanges over thesummerthat needed to occur Nearly 1,100 tasks were uploaded,withdescriptions, deadlinesand the percentage of the task that was complete. As of Friday, only 12 of those tasks were incomplete.

Another change that Whitley said worked well over thesummer wastwicea-week standing meetings. “It gave us two weekly touch points,” she said. Monday’smeeting was for administrators implementing the changes and Thursday’smeeting was where school principals could get answers to problemsthat cropped up.

“As we cametothe end of it all, we decided that we need to look at using the samekind of process during every summerjust to prepare for school,” she said.

Email Charles Lussier at clussier@theadvocate. com.

theadvocate.com

4B

■ Sunday, September 28, 2025

Obituaries

Dakin, Lance Jorn

Today Charliegh; brothers, Charles Diffeyand wife Wanda,and Andy Diffey; formerwife, Cheryl Diffey; and step-son,Stephen Newman. Stevewas pre‐ceded in deathbyhis fa‐ther, Charles“C.W.”Diffey; mother, RuthAnn Jackson Diffey; andstep-mother, ThelmaDiffey. Steve loved tojokeand laugh. He had special wayofbringing laughterand light-hearted‐nesstoall around him. Steve enjoyedboating and fishinginhis free time Pleasememoriesatwww wilbertservices.com

L. Jorn Dakin, age 84, passed awaypeacefully on September 24, 2025, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 57 years, Louise Liu Dakin, and his parents Melvin Gerald Dakin and Myrtle Anderson Dakin. He was the proud father of his children Linnea Liu Dakin (Christopher Wilhem) of Los Angeles,California, and Bjorn Dakin (Elizabeth) of Allison Park, Pennsylvania, and proud grandfather of Paul and Joy.Heisalso survived by hisdear sister Karen Dakin Calderon, sister-in-law Ann Lyons, and many cherished nieces and nephews. Jorn was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and was alifelong scholar, starting with high school at University Laboratory School (atLSU), then the University of Michigan where he met Louise, to the University of Chicago for his JD, MBA, and doctoral work in Economics, and even in retirement at George Mason University for his LLM. Along the way, he taught at Kansas University in Lawrence and theUniversity of North Florida in Jacksonville before ultimately settling into acareer as an attorney with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, DC. He wasa loyal friend, staying interested in and keeping in touch with the many friends he met during his life, from childhood to classmates to colleagues to neighbors. He was adevotedvolunteer, from the Universalist National Memorial Church in Washington, DC to his children's many activities. In retirement, he was able to travel around the U.S. and enjoy the company of Louise, family, and friends. He had many passions, including a love of reading, and was the hardestworking client forhis fitness trainers, well into his 80s. Hisfamily is thankful for all the care, support, andkindness he received from the staff of Commonwealth Hospice and Arden Courts North Hills most recently, and from the staffs of Concordia at Rebecca Residence, Cumberland Crossing Manor and Asbury Heights over the past several years. Altruistic to the very end, he chose to donate his body to medical science in afinal effortto help others learn. A memorial service will be held at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Allison Park, Pennsylvania (availablevirtually for those unable to attend in person). Details will be listed at www.sperlingfuneral.com as they become available. In lieu of flowers,memorial contributions may be made to the Universalist National Memorial Church in Washington, DC (www.universalist.org) or the Friends of the University of Michigan Gilbert & Sullivan Society [where Jorn and Louisefirst met working on thestage crew] (www.fumgass.org). The familycan be contacted at dakinfamilycontact@ gmail.com.

Steven GlennDiffey, known as “Diffey”,passed awayonWednesday,Sep‐tember24, 2025,atThe Guest HouseinBaton Rouge,atthe ageof68. He was anativeand resident ofPortAllen. Stevewas a retired self-employedtruck driver, he found joyand freedom on theopenroad. Per hiswishes, he wascre‐mated anda celebrationof his life will be held at a later date.Steve is sur‐vived by histwo daugh‐ters, AmberDiffeyMizell and husbandJeremy, and Michele Diffey;grandchil‐dren,Beau, Nixon, Mason,

Christine Belasky Enright, acherished wife, devoted mother, adored grandmother, and treasuredfriend,entered into eternal rest at herhome on September 23, 2025,atthe ageof78. After acourageous three-yearjourney with Alzheimer's disease, Chris passedpeacefully, surroundedbythe love that definedher life.

Born and raised in Baton Rouge,Chris grew up with agenerous spirit andajoyful heart.She graduated from Istrouma High School in 1965 and later attended theUniversity of SouthwesternLouisiana fora brieftime. With akeeneye for detailand asteady hand,she began hercareer as adraftsmanfor the Louisiana HighwayDepartment.

In 1969, Chris married the love of her life, Fred M. Enright, beginning apartnershipmarked by deep devotion andadventure. Their journey togethercarried them to Stillwater, Oklahoma, whereFredpursued his veterinary degree, andlater to Davis, California,wherehecompleted his PhD. Through each move,Chris created a warm home, gathered lifelongfriends, andembracedevery newchapter with grace and kindness.

Chris liveda life rich with purpose, centered on family,friendship,and service.She gavegenerously of hertime to the veterinary community, actively LVMAand AVMA Auxiliaries as aboard member. Shepoured her energy and talents by service as a board memberofthe LSU CampusClub and Trianon of Baton Rouge, whereher bright presencewas deeplyfelt. Aboveall, Chris delighted in the simple joys of life—hosting gatherings, sharing laughter with friends, andcherishing every moment with her family

Sheispreceded in death by her beloved parents, Theodore "Skee"Belasky and Ritchie Lucille Davis Belasky, as well as her niece, Jennifer Elizabeth Belasky. Chrisleavesbehinda legacy of love through her devotedhusband of 56 years, Dr. Frederick Martin Enright; her son,Richmond Martin, and his wife, Julie Harlersonof Savannah, GA; her daughter,Anna Mary Stuckey, and herhusband Jonathan. Her greatest joys wereher precious grandchildren— MaryLucilleand James Davis Stuckey, and Remi Martin and Annabel Lee Enright—who broughtlight to her lateryears. Sheisalso survived by herbrother, Theodore"Teddy"James Belasky,and his wife,Jackie Delatte Belasky of Lafayette, along with many belovedrelatives and friends.

AcelebrationofChris' beautiful life will be heldat alater date at University United Methodist Church, 3350 Dalrymple Dr. Following the service, the family willwelcome relatives and friends to areception at the home of the Stuckeys.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly invites memorialcontributions in Chris'name to,The Arc of Baton Rouge, the Arthritis Foundation, or acharity of your choice

Chris'family wishesto expresstheir deepest gratitude to Baton Rouge Hospice fortheir extraordinary care and compassion, and to her dedicatedphysicians,Dr. Lara Falcon and

Dr. AngeleBourg, who supported her with wisdom and kindness

EvansJr., ClydeLuke

Clyde Luke Evans, Jr., 76, of DenhamSprings, LA passed away on September23, 2025. He was born on June 8, 1949, in Baton Rouge, LA,toBarbara and Clyde Luke Evans Sr.Clyde retiredasanOperator fromAxiallCorporation butwas most proud of the years he served as aBaton Rouge City Police Officer. He is survivedbyhis wife of 52 years, Elizabeth Hussey Evans,his children, JasonEvans (Leann) and Brooke Wax (Brandon), his grandchildren, Tyler Evans (Katherine), Jake Evans (Emily), Landon Evans (Mia), Bailey, Bradley, Brody and Bethany Wax, hisgreat grandchildren, Renley and Beckham Evans and hissistersClydia Dicharry and Mary Brasseaux (Bill). He is preceded in death by his father Clyde Evans Sr., his mother Barbara Brechtel Witty, his sisterBarbara Maehren, and his brotherin-law,Jerry Dicharry.The family is deeply grateful to Jamie Sims, who lovingly cared for him in his final months.

Avisitationwillbeheld from5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on 2025-10-03 at SealeFuneral Home,1720 S. Range Ave

Afuneralservicewillbe held from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM on 2025-10-03 at Seale Funeral Home,1720 S. RangeAve.

James Keith Gremillion, anativeofBaton Rouge, La and alongtime resident of Pride,La., having livedthe last year in St.Francisville, La.,went to be with his Lord and Savior on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 at theage of 69. He was retiredfromRhodia, Inc. in BatonRouge.Keith enjoyed hunting, fishing and cooking with his family and friends. He is survived by his daughter, Lacee GremillionBranscum; sonin-law,Stephen Branscum; grandsonJackson Branscum; sisterPamela Rogers (Rickie);brothers, Dennis Gremillion (Sharon), Craig Gremillion (Ericka); lifelong friend Janet. He was preceded in death by his parents, James "Sherod"& Bertha Mae "Pip"Gremillion; partner in life,SharonHardy. A memorial service will be held at alaterdate.

SamuelHouston Harris, Jr., of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, passed away peacefully on September 23, 2025, at theage of 93, with his family by his side at Our Ladyofthe Lake Hospital Forever thehumorist Sam lovedtotellpeople that he was thefirst in his family to be born in ahospital. He was bornin Murfreesboro,Tennessee, which he proudlycalled "God's Country."Hewas theeldest son of Samuel HoustonHarris, Sr., and Emily Katherine Manville Harris. While attending Baton Rouge HighSchool, Sam discovered alifelong love of golf, joking that he was the"worst member" of the school'sfirst golf team. He went on to earn abachelor'sdegree in Personnel Management from Louisiana StateUniversity, where he and his brother were members of Sigma

Chi Fraternity. Both remained active as Life Loyal Sigma Chis. Sam also participated in AirForce ROTC, eagerly anticipating his dreamofbecoming afighter pilot, apassion rooted in his childhoodcollection of toyairplanes shared with his brother. Sam'slife was defined by hiswarmth,laughter, and love forpeople. His parents instilled in him and his brotherstrongtiesto God and theEpiscopal Church. Both served as acolytes at St. James Episcopal Church beforetheir family helpedestablish Trinity Episcopal Church, whereSam proudly became thechurch's first acolyte.

Following graduation, Sam entered theU.S.Air Force,where he excelled as thetop fighterpilotin his class. Thougha peacetime veteran, he would havegladly served his country in wartime. After his militaryservice,he builta long careerinfinance and banking,ultimately working 30 years in theDealer Loans Department at Capital One.He lovedhis workand cher-

ished thefriendships formed throughouthis career,manyofwhichlasted alifetime Atruesportsenthusiast, Sam balancedhis career with an active lifestyle. He made seven documented holes-in-one,playedtennis, ran regularly, and cheeredonthe LSUTigers. He also poured himself into service:raisinghis three childrenafter hisfirst marriage ended, serving as an acolyte trainer,Boy Scout leader, and Junior Warden at Trinity Episcopal Church,and contributing to hiscommunitythrough theDowntownLions Club, theShriners, the Masons (32nd Degree), and other civic organizations In 1983, Sam remarried, andheand hiswife enjoyed years filledwith travel, love,and laughter untilher passing in 2010. Sam is preceded in death by his parents;his belovedbrother,The Rev. TerenceManville Harris; and histwo wives. He is survived by histhreechildren:Pamela HarrisWelch, MahlonRobertHarris, and TraceyAnn Harris; two grandchildren: Rachael

Welch Tibbetts (husband Matt) of Denham Springs, Louisiana, andBrian Houston "Doc"Welch of Baton Rouge;and four greatgrandchildren: Madison Leigh Tibbetts, Hays AnthonyTibbetts, Noah Houston Tibbetts, and AnnaKatherine Tibbetts. He also leaves behind his cherished Boston Terrier grand -dogs, Missy and Jack Welch.

Areception will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church (3552 MorningGlory Avenue,Baton Rouge)onFriday, October 3, 2025, from 9:00-10:00 a.m., followed by the funeral service at 10:00 a.m. Intermentwilltake place at Greenoaks Memorial Cemetery on Florida Boulevard. In lieu of flowers, the familyrequests that donationsbemade to theTrinity Episcopal Church Endowment Fundinmemory of Sam, at theMorning Glory address.

Please consider donatingtolocal journalism in Louisiana. Your tax-deductible contribution goes solely to funding reportersinthe field.

To donateand to seethe work ourteamhas done,visit LOUISIANAJOURNALISMFUND.ORG

WilliamKent“Bill”Hood 75, of Amite, Louisiana, passedawayonSeptem‐ber 20, 2025,surrounded by his loving family. Born on June29, 1950, in NewOr‐leans,Louisiana,Billwas a proud graduate of Amite HighSchool,Class of 1968 Hewentontoattend Louisiana StateUniversity, where he wasa member of the KappaSigma fraternity, forming lifetime friend‐ships.In1970, Bill began whatwould become an ex‐traordinary andimpactful career in theautomotive industry. Throughvision, determination,and an un‐waveringcommitmentto integrity,hegrewHood Au‐tomotiveGroup from asin‐gle dealership in Amite, Louisiana into arespected network of over 11 loca‐tions across theregion. Known fortreatingboth employees andcustomers likefamily, Bill builta legacyrootedinservice trust,and leadership.Be‐yondhis professional achievements, Bill was deeply committed to his community.Hegenerously gavehis time andleader‐shiptoa wide rangeof civic,business, andphilan‐thropic organizationsin‐cluding,but notlimited to, Kiwanis Club,Knights of Columbusand Louisiana AutomobileDealers Asso‐ciation.Healsoservedon the boards of Hood Memo‐rialHospital, Entergy Louisiana andwas the longest servingDirectorof First Guaranty Bank,witha remarkable48years of ser‐vice. Bill also livedlifewith a deep senseofjoy andad‐venture.Hewas an avid travelerand lovedboating golfing,snowskiing, and hunting. Whetherhewas onthe water, on the slopes, or travelingthe world,heembracedeach momentand shared it gen‐erously with those he loved.Above allhis many accomplishments,Bill’s greatestjoy in life was being alovingfatherand grandfather.Affectionately known as “Daddy Hood”, hepouredhis heartinto his family. Hiswisdom, warmth, andunwavering lovewereconstantgifts to his children andgrandchil‐dren, whoadoredhim be‐yondmeasure.Billissur‐vived by hisbeloved wife, Amy Kirk Morgan Hood; daughters,Amy Hood Conti (husband Brant) Nancy Hood Pray (husband Cade),and BetsyKent Hood;grandchildren,Sa‐vannahCarol Conti, Sophia MorganPray, WilliamBlake Conti,and Hudson Hood Pray. He is also survived by his brother, Thomas Bobo”Hood;sisters,Lindy Hayden, CandyJenkins, and CindyHood;brothersin-law, Jeff Morgan and Marty Morgan;and numer‐ous nieces andnephews Hewas preceded in death byhis father,Thomas James Hood;mother, Marie KentHood;father-in-law Elmer GradyMorgan; mother-in-law,GloriaMcIn‐tyreMorgan; brother-inlaw,ChipMorgan; and nephew, TommyHood.In accordance with Bill’s wishes, aprivate service willwas held with close familyonly. In lieu of flow‐ers,the family kindly re‐queststhatdonations be madeinBill’smemoryto the ElmerGrady Morgan Endowed Scholarshipin Athletics,SoutheasternDe‐velopment Foundation,SLU 10293, Hammond,LA70402 McKneelyFuneral Home, Amite,inchargeof arrangements

Houston, Gwendolyn Patin

Gwendolyn Patin Houston, adedicated mother, grandmother, and community member, passed away peacefullyat95on September 14th. Born in Lafayette, Louisiana to Lydia and Oscar Patin, Sr., she graduated valedictorian from Paul Breaux High School at 16 and attended Rhodes College in New York City. Gwendolyn worked at Standard Insurance Company, later marrying Louis M. Houston and jointly running businesses for over 40 years. Known for her wit, intelligence, kindness, and dedication to education, Gwendolyn was deeply committed to her family and faith. She is survived by her children Dr. Louis M. Houston, Dominique Lueckenhoff, Gwen MichelleHouston,

grandsonGeorgeMaxwell Lueckenhoff,and several nieces and nephews. A Memorial Mass is scheduled for November8,2025; details are available on Kinchen Funeral Home's website. Donations may be made to LittleSistersof the Poor or the Mother Teresa Missionary Sisters of Charity.

Roger Douglas Smith, MD, FAANS, FCNS, adefining neurosurgeon of his generation, passed away peacefully surrounded by his lovingfamily and adored colleagues on September 22, 2025 in New Orleans at the ageof83. Born at GothamHospitalin NewYork to Florence CleggSmith and Charles Elmo Smith, he grewupin Californiaand graduated from Stanford University prior to matriculatingto University of Southern California School of Medicine.Heserved honorably as aNavyphysician during the Vietnam War, achieving the rank of Lieutenant. He trained in neurosurgerywithDr. John Green at the Barrow NeurologicalInstitute in Phoenix and subsequently completed fellowship in Zurich with Gazi Yasargil, with whom he co-authored the definitive text on micro -neurosurgical technique. In 1979,hewas recruited to theLouisiana State University Department of Neurosurgery.Hejoined the Ochsner Department of Neurosurgeryin2001 and was named Physician Leader of the Year in 2006. He was instrumental in establishing the TulaneOchsnerNeurosurgery ResidencyTraining Program,ofwhich he was Chair and Program Director,inaddition to serving as Chairman of the Ochsner Departmentof Neurosurgery His impact on both his patients and hisneurosurgical trainees and colleagues is impossible to overstate. He wasmore of afather than merelya mentor to his many residents, whosesuccesses he celebrated to the dayof his passing. He was asuperlative clinician and a gentleman'ssurgeon; he had exceptionalknowledge of anatomy,technical prowess, superb communicationskills, and above all, the ability to recognizethe humanity and dignity in each and everypersonhe encountered. He saved and improvedinnumerable lives, andhis exceptional legacy willbeperpetuated by his trainees. He was belovedbyall He lovedNew Orleans and served in multiple medical organizations, including the Louisiana Associationof NeurologicalSurgeons (President, 1995-6), Orleans Parish Medical Society(President, 2003), and Louisiana State Medical Society (President, 2008-10). Throughout his career, he was recognized with countless honors, including inductioninto Louisiana State Medical SocietyHall of Fame,the Louisiana Associationof NeurologicalSurgeons Lifetime Achievement Award, the Ochsner Health Lifetime Achievement Award, the Ochsner AlumniAward, the SovereignMilitary Order of the TempleofJerusalem/ Knights Templar,and the 1834 Society. He was active in allthe leading neurosurgicalsocieties and served as aguest examiner for the AmericanBoard of NeurologicalSurgeons. He was aRenaissanceman: hespoke seven languages, read voraciously, and traveled the world: favorite destinations included Greece,Egypt,Istanbul France,Italy, andmost of all, Vietnam, whereheenjoyedmultiple medical service trips to children's hospitals during which he treated patients andmentoredlocal neurosurgeons. He was active in several local social clubs and Carnival organizations He issurvived by the love of his life, hiswife GeorgieExnicios Smith; his sonsDouglas Lane (Patricia), AdamCharles, and Ryan Spencer,of whom he was extremely proud; grandchildren Morgan Stella,Aiden Cole, BeauregardDouglas, and FinneganAugustus, who brought him immense joy; and his adored sisters CaroleeHales(Merrill)and LaneReinwand. Aprivate interment will

be held on October 11, 2025 in Tooele,Utah, where his parents and family are also at rest.Toviewand sign theonline guestbook, please visit www.tatemortuary.com. A formal celebrationofhis life will be held in New Orleans on adatetobedetermined.Inlieuofflowers, donations may be madetothe Roger D. Smith, MD, Lectureshipin Neurosurgery Fund (www.ochsner.org/rogersmith) at OchsnerHealth

Springer, Shannon Lee

Shannon Lee Springer passed away on Thursday, September 25, 2025, at the ageof74. He was aresident of BatonRouge, LA,a nativeofShreveport, LA and agraduateofNorthwestern StateUniversity. Shannon proudly served as aCaptain in the US Army during theKoreanWar. He then embarked on asuccessfulcareerofover 30 years in theautomotive serviceindustry. Shannon was alovingand loyal family man. An avid outdoorsman, he was deeply committed to mentoring youththrough his decades of dedication to,and leadershipinthe Boy Scoutsof America. Shannonissurvivedbyhis loving children;AimeePatane, JosephSpringer (Kelli), Jonathan Springer, Todd Carter (Charlene), Doug Carter (Jessica), and Ryan Carter (Lisa); grandchildren,William, Emma, Collin, Sophia, Chance Christian, Apryl,Brennan, Andrew, Alexis, Kinsley, andBeau; sister, Paula Schermerhorn; brother-inlaw, Keith Hopson;and a host of otherfamily members, including his former wife, Margaret Springer. He is preceded in death by his belovedwife,Carolyn Carter-Springer; parents, Forrest and Edna Springer; and his sister, Connie Jo Hopson.Visitation willbe at GreenoaksFuneral Home,9595 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge,LA, on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, from1pm until the time of funeralservices at 2pm. Burial will immediately follow at Greenoaks Memorial Park.

Stampley, Gladys Julia

Gladys J. Stampley, age 93, passed away peacefully on Monday, September 22, 2025, surrounded by her loving family She leavestocherish her memory her devoted daughters, Terri R. Fisher and Sanita P. (Donald) Evans;brother, Gilbert (Ester) Stampleyand sister, EthelS.Robertson. Gladys was blessed with 13 grandchildren, 24 great-grandchildren, 6great-greatgrandchildren, and ahost of otherrelativesand friends who willmiss her deeply. She waspreceded in death by her son, RonaldL Johnson; daughter,Sandra K. Brock; her parents, Samuel L. and Julia King Stampley; and siblings: T.J Stampley, SamuelStampleyJr.,Isaac Stampley, Missionary JuanitaS Range, JosephStampley, Wilhelmina S. Ruffin, Rosa S. Pugh, and FannieMae S. Williams.

Family and friends are invitedtoattend theVisitation on Monday, September29, 2025, at NewHope Baptist Church, 5856 Greenwell SpringsRd.,BatonRouge,LAat8:00 AM, followedbyFuneralServices at 10:00 AM,with Reverend Leo D. Cyrus, Sr. officiating.Entombment willfollow at Heavenly Gates Cemetery of Baton Rouge. Services entrusted to HallDavis and SonFuneral Services. www.halldavisandson.c om

Stephens, Marilyn D.

Marilyn D. Stephens peacefully went home to be with her Jesus September26, 2025, after alengthy battle withAlzheimer's. Visitation willbeheldat Central Funeralhome, September 30, 2025, at 9:00AMuntil thefuneral serviceat11:00AM, with burialtofollow at Roselawn Cemetery. Please refer to Centralfunerhome.comfor thefull obituary.

Stroud,Steen E. 'Boomer' Steen E. "Boomer Stroud, 64, aresidentof Baton Rouge, went to his heavenlyhomeonSeptem‐ber 22, 2025. Avisitation willbeonWednesday,Oc‐tober 1, 2025 at CharletFu‐neral Home,Inc., Zachary from10:00 am until memo‐rialservice at 12:00 Noon Boomer is survived by his loveof29years,Shirley De‐graw, oneson,AlexStroud (Madi), brother, Steve Stroud(Gretchen), special cousins,DebbieAinsworth and Jeff Masters, one granddaughter,nieces, Michele Young (Jared)and Chasity Stroud and4 great niecesand greatnephews Heisprecededindeath by his parents, Aaronand Car‐olynStroudand sister, Tonna Seguin.Hewillbe deeply missedbyall who knewand lovedhim

Mr.Daniel Tapia, aresident of St.Amant, wasunexpectedly calledhomeon September 24, 2025, at the age of sixty-nine.Hewas born on March23, 1956, to parents IE and Geraldine Tapia. He wasa member of the Lake MartinBaptist Church andanLSU fan. He touched many lives with his kindness and gentle spirit and wasa role model to all of nieces, nephews,and friends. Danielissurvived by hislovingwife of 42 years, Lavon Williams Tapia; sons, Adam Tapia (Megan), and Travis Tapia; sister,Carmen Tapia Breaux(Warren) and brotherLouis Tapia. He is preceded in thedeathhis parents, IE andGeraldine Tapia; sisters, Glenda TapiaMcDade, andYolanda TapiaRuhle andbrother David Tapia. Visitation will be held at Greenoaks FuneralHome, 9595 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge,LA., on Tuesday, September30, 2025, from 10:00 am until service time of 12:00 pm. Intermentwill immediately follow at Greenoaks Memorial Park.

Renette wascalledto new life on August 15, 2025 She wasborninBay St Louis,MSonOctober 16 1927, andwas aresidentof Gramercy, LA since1952 Renette wasa 1947 gradu‐ate of Northwestern Uni‐versity,Chicago, with ade‐greeinDentalHygiene.She was amemberofthe Third Order of Mary andofSa‐credHeart Church in Gramercy.Renette was

very active in theChurch and in providingcomfort and supporttoothers throughoutthe community Renette wasprecededin death by herhusband, WardTurner, M.D.,her two daughters,CherylTurner Maryand PaulaTurner Ellis,grandsonDavid Ellis, son-in-lawJames Richard Mary, andher twosisters and brother. Sheissur‐vived by hertwo sons, Glenn Turner (Ann)and Joe Turner, M.D. (Candy,M.D.), son in lawByron Ellis, eight grandchildren andtheir spouses,and four greatgrandchildren.Servicesare onSaturday, October4, 2025, at SaintJoseph Catholic Church,2130 Rec‐torySt.,Paulina, LA 70763 Visitationisinthe church from9 am until10:45 am Massisat11am, followed byinterment at Saint JosephMausoleum in Paulina.Weare unable to receive flowersatthe church.Inlieuof flowers, Massesormemorialdona‐tions maybemadetoSa‐credHeart Church,P.O.Box 129, Paulina, LA 70763, or a charity of your choice

out-of-pocketcan comeasa shock, leading people to put offorevengowithout care.

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OPINION

Shifting blame forabandoned wellsleadsto inaction

Thousands of abandoned oilwells or platforms dot the waters off Louisiana’scoasts, creating hazards the state isn’tdoing enough to mitigate.

It’snot that the only responsibilitybelongs with the state.The federal government may have arole to play,too, and thecompanies that built the wells certainly do

One way or another,though, this is amassive problem, as evidenced by painstakingreporting by this newspaper’sAlex Lubben intwo recent articles.“More than3,600 wells oncedrilledon land or in wetlands are now in open water,”Lubben reports. And: “Louisiana has 7,583 unplugged wells in itsoffshore and inland statewaters…. The total does not include offshore wells in federal waters,which begin three miles off Louisiana’s coast.” At least 879 offshore structureshave been abandoned in state waters alone.

Some of these wellsorplatforms leak oil, methane or other water or air pollutants. Some of them are unseen below the surface, where they can snag and sink boatsmovingthrough what looks like open water.Some seem safe enoughnow,but cancause variousproblems if they collapse. These dangers must notbeallowed to fester The state should take numeroussteps to reduce therisks. Most importantly,it should identify and catalogue every offshore well or related platform or equipment, whetheroperational or abandoned, whether visible abovewater or hiddenbelow.Itshould map allthese structures, widely disseminate the map in readily accessible form for all boatersand, wherever physically possible, mark the spotswithbuoys,lights or reflective material

When those structures, contrarytoexisting law, are abandoned, or wells left uncapped, then both the state and thefederal government (where relevant) should step up enforcement, in whatever ways possible, against thosewho abandon them. If the law allows fines, then apply them; if the law creates civil or criminal penalties against individualbusiness chieftains, then pursue those options too. For new wells or platforms still in the works, meanwhile, lawscan be changed,bothatthe federal and state levels. Bankruptcy laws should be amended so that environmental responsibilities, just like IRS obligations, must be met before any other obligations areeither met or excused. Penalties for failing to cap wellsorproperly dismantleplatforms should be strengthened, and requirementsfor companies to set aside money at the start for plugging the wells should reflectthe actual cost of plugging them, not something less.

Finally,while it ought not be thestate’s jobto paytohandle these oil-related menaces,the fact is that theyexist and thatoftentimes it is impossible to forcetheir original builders to takecare of them. Lawmakers,therefore, should bite the bullet and find ways to financetheir plugging or their removal.

Considering the perils from allthe leftover oil-productionequipment,all these stepsmerit considerablelegislative energy.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence

TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

LizMurrill,openmeeting absolutist?

Amongmany possible sobriquets, Attorney General Liz Murrill might be vying to become Louisiana’s“open meetings czar.”

Twosuits— an Augustone filed against the Caddo Parish Commission and another in September against theLivingston Parish Library Board of Control —explain what Imean.

The Caddo casefocuses on thecommission’spassage of aresolution that welcomed VermontSen. Bernie Sanders to give atalk in the city.Murrill’ssuit at first focused on the Commission’stroubling practice of issuing “special resolutions” andthen “ratifying” them at a later meeting. But then sheamended thesuit in September to notethat the ratification, which was done by electronic machine vote, was improper becauseitwas not avoice vote, as state law requires It’sworth noting here that an AG opinion from 1980 and Legislative Auditor guidance from as recentlyas Augusthave saidthat electronic votes satisfy the“spirit”ofthe law on voice votes If acourt agrees with Murrill on this matter,itcould create problems for hundreds of Louisiana bodies that

Butit’sworth it to consider for amoment why free speech is so essential to afree society. Many probably would say that freedom of speech is important so we can show our disagreementwith government policies, with unjust laws or anythingelse that upsetsus.

useelectronic voting. But that’sfor another column. In theLivingston case, Murrill took notice after the library board voted to dismissthe library director without an item on the agenda and after some members saidthere would be no vote. Local residents filed complaints with her office, and Murrill agreed. Thereare some who will dismissMurrill’sactions, especially in the first instance, as her playing politics. She is, after all, among the staunchest of Republicans; Sanders is a well-known progressive Butthe Livingston Parish suit,notably,takes aim at aboard in one of thereddest parishes in the state. Allnine board members are named as defendants, as is Parish President Randy Delatte, aRepublican who made themotiontonot renew thedirector’s contract So it’s difficult to pin her actions on purely political motivations. Perhaps —tolook at these developments in a hopeful light —she is an “open meetings”absolutist

Andifthat’s thecase, then Iam wholeheartedly on board.

Ihave sat in plenty of small, local government meetings over the years

andcan attest thatmanyelected officialshatethe OpenMeetings Law.It’s an annoyance. It creates hoopsthey must jump through. It makes it muchharder for themtosneak something through without at leasttheir colleagues and the public being aware of it and having achancetoweigh in. And that’swhy it’ssoimportant. Most people probably don’tthink aboutthe OpenMeetings Law that often, but the transparency it provides is acrucialcornerstone of Louisiana’sdemocratic process. Without it, residents would have adifficult time knowing whattheir officials were doing. As Murrill correctly wrote in the suit she filedagainst Livingston Parish, “The OpenMeetings Law is astatutory embodiment of aconstitutional promise:thatthe public hasthe right to know, to observe and to participate in the actions of its government.” Amenand amen.IfMurrill vigorously protectsthe integrity of the law, she deserves kudos. Now,ifwecan just come to an agreementonpublic records

Faimon A. Roberts III canbe reached at froberts@theadvocate. com.

Recenteventshave brought theissue of free speech to the fore yet again. It’s such abasic feature of American life that we sometimes takeitfor granted.

alone in their opinion, or they are glad someonefinally put into words exactly what they felt. That’sapowerful feeling.

Anditcertainly is important to have freedom to disagree. ButI’ve been thinking recently that free speech is also avalue to democracies because we are allowed to express our agreement, to say loudly that we support what may seem to be unpopular opinions.

We often get letters that agree with a previous letter writer’s opinion. Some even say that they thought they were

Andinfree societies, people joining together is aforce that can change things. In authoritarian regimes, dissenters can sprout up, buttheir message is easily snuffed out because the broader population is too afraid to express agreement. And the dissenters are lefttofeel isolated and alone when, in reality,they are not.Italso discourages others from raising issues because fewwant to be labeled an outsider Iamoften asked if we choose more letters from this side or that side of a political debatetomake it appear some idea is popular.Wedon’t. But the fact that the question continually comes up says alot. We all want to believe that themajority agrees with our views. In afree society, agreement matters.

So while we are all focused on our differences, maybe we should also rally around ideas that bring people together.Like free speech. Going to our letters inbox, forthe week of Aug. 28-Sept. 4, we received 78 letters. The 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina was by farthe most popular topic, with 10 letters sent on the subject. Many of you expressed your gratitude forthe coverage. It was an effort that involved all parts of the newsroom,and it was important to us to makesure we honored that tragic timefor our state. Next, we received three letters concerned about Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’sactions regarding vaccines. And the immigration debate also prompted three letters.

Arnessa Garrett is Deputy Editor | OpinionPage Editor.Emailher at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com.

COMMENTARY

Cassidyand theart of wishfulthinking

As the vaccine conversation up in Washington moved from measlestoCOVID to hepatitisB, athought occurred to me: Maybe the people who are now,somehow,incharge of our nation’spublic health are just trolling U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy Cassidy,ofcourse, is a doctor who has long been an eloquent, sober-minded proponent of safe, proven vaccinesacrossthe board. More specifically,Cassidy’sagastroenterologist, aspecialistindebilitating and potentially deadly liver diseases suchashepatitis B, which has an effective vaccine that’sbeenadministered to newborns since 1991.

government recommendations

This although Cassidy assured us all that Kennedy hadpromised him he’d cause no such thing.

Here’ssome of what Cassidy,who chairsthe Senate’sHealth,Education, Laborand Pensions Committee, said on the Senate floor in defenseof his confirmation vote:

“After seeing patients die from vaccine-preventable diseases, Idedicated much of my timetovaccine research and immunization programs.”

Andthis:

He’salso, in atwist that’sstarting to feel downright Shakespearian, the man behind that “somehow.”

It was, of course, Cassidy’ssupport forconfirming anti-vax conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr.torun the Department of Health and Human Services that set in motion the vaccine chaos that has now fully infected the country,certainly including those now trying to get COVID shots despite new,more limiting

“Regarding vaccines, Mr.Kennedy has been insistent that he justwantsgood science and to ensure safety.But on this topic, the science is good, the science is credible. Vaccines save lives They are safe. They do not cause autism. There are multiple studiesthat show this. They are a crucial part of our nation’spublic health response.”

Andthis:

“(Kennedy) has also committedthat he would work within the current vaccine approval and safety monitoring systems, and not establish parallel systems. If

confirmed, he will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’sAdvisory Committee on Immunization Practices without changes. CDC will not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not causeautism.”

Andyet. Kennedy fired all members of that committee. He then fired the head of the CDC after sherefused to promiseshe’d rubber-stamp recommendations by the replacements he’d chosen.

The new committee then met and proceeded to sow mass confusion by changingrecommendationsonthe combined measles mumps, rubella and varicella vaccine and the COVID shot, in bothcases in ways that will likely limit accessand coverage. It tabled aproposal to change the recommendation for thehepatitisBvaccine to newborns, but not beforesendingout all kinds of conflicting signals Andthat was beforelast week’s big news conference, in which President Donald Trump himself took thelead on making apublic connection between acetaminophen and autism, despitethe fact

that there’szeroscientific evidence of acausallink.

If all this didn’talready leave Cassidy squirming, there’sthe added element of his rationale for backing Kennedy in the first place: He was trying to make nice withTrump andhis most fervent supportersahead of next year’s Republican primary,four yearsafter Cassidy voted to convict Trump at impeachment for instigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Congress.

The really crazytwist here is that while Cassidy pushesback against Kennedy,he’strying still trying to make nice. Even as he held ablistering Senate hearing on the CDC situationrecently,he loudly insistedthatTrump deserves aNobel Prize for Operation Warp Speed,the first-term COVID vaccine development initiative.

In criticizing Kennedy’smoves, he regularly sets up the idea that thesecretaryisactually undermining the president’sgoals around transparency and making America healthy again, which is,ofcourse, Kennedy’scatchphrase.

Not that Trump is helping Cassidy out there.Atlast week’s

bonkers news conference, the president came outwith dangerously unfounded medical recommendations of his own, saying repeatedly thatpregnant women should tough it outrather than take Tylenol—hewent with the brand name afterstruggling mightily to pronounce the active ingredient —eventhough doctors sayhigh feverisdangerous to the baby

Trump also claimedthat childrendon’t need the Hep Bvaccine until theymight become sexually active,although the reason for giving it at birth is to prevent transmission from mother to child.

It’salmost as if Cassidy thinks he can argue so persuasively that Kennedy’snot doing what Trump wants him to do thathe’ll stop with the unfounded fearmongering. Thatthis medicalnightmare will end—and that when it does, he’ll no longerbethe guy who sold outinthe hopesofsaving his ownjob

Thatsomehow,against all evidence, Trump is not very much in on the troll.

Email Stephanie Graceat sgrace@theadvocate.com.

Rising antisemitism astain on civilization

In any honest discussion of faithinthe modern world, there is no getting around this reality: One people of one faith, Jews, make up just 0.2% of the world’s population, yet year after year the much of the globe seems obsessed with the influence of Jews, the actions of Jews, the treatment of Jews and the fate of Jews Toomany people treat this obsession as amatter of politics, butit shouldn’tbeso.

Alas, along with this obsession comes wave after wave of theserioussoulsickness known as antisemitism. Europe andthe United States, the supposed apexes of enlightenedcivilization, are in the midst of just such awave. On Sept.19, therigorously fair-minded publication known as The Conversation published resultsofsurveys of thousands of college students and administrators, showing that 34% of nonJewishundergraduates expressed views reasonably characterized as antisemitic. On the same day,more than 100 European rabbis wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen complainingofacontinentwide trendof“visceral antisemitichate.”

This is not just about the actions of the government of Israel.By all reasonable

ethics and logic, aJew in Belgium or aJew in New Orleans is no moreresponsible for thepolicies, good or bad, of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu than aCatholic in Mandeville is responsible for how thepope governs Vatican City.Nonetheless, individual Jews keep gettingtargeted specifically for being Jewish. In recent months, we’ve seen thehome of the Jewish governor of Pennsylvania set on fire, two Israeli Embassy staffers murdered outsideaJewish museum and aterrorist flamethrower attack againstaJewish gatheringinBoulder,Colorado. Official FBI statistics showed that 2024 featured the highestnumber of anti-Jewishhate crimes since it began compiling such statistics in 1991, and early indications show 2025 trending even worse And college campuses for three years have beenroiled by antisemitic protests, with Tulane being one of the few universities that refused to kowtow totrespassing, obstruction and rhetoric that was not just hateful but violent.(Yes, there’sa big difference.)

All decent people should recognize this sort of hatred as an objective evil; yet even as amild inclination, it makes no sense

Statistics and common experience both show Jews collectively to be amongthe mostphilanthropic of cultures, and statistics showAmerican Jews have become even more philanthropic, not less so —and to secular causes, too, not just religious ones —inresponse to rising antisemitism. Andrather than being insularand aloof, Jews regularly show higher levels of civic engagement than most people. In sum,the average Jew is likely to be abetter citizen, amore responsive and responsible citizen, than the average non-Jew

To be clear,itiswrong to assume that group generalizations such as these, whether good or bad, apply to particular Jewish individuals. It is to say,though, that even if someone does insist on collectivizing Jewish individuals, the attribution of group characteristics to Jews should work not against them but in their favor

For thosereasons, among manyothers, themain character in my novel “The Accidental Prophet” writes that “all, of all faiths, should honor theJews. Youbelong to afaith tradition that is an inspiration to all people of good will.” He also encourages Christians to refamiliarize themselves with, and embrace the lessons of, Jewish traditions such as YomKippur,the day of atonement and eventually renewal

—which, by the way, begins this coming Wednesday,Oct. 1. The Jews’ survival and joyful, continuing existence as apeople and afaith is remarkable. In each of the six novels of the late Covington-based author Walker Percy,his characters see particular “significance” in the Jewish people, and he wonders how they have survived so manymillennia while other,seemingly morepowerful groups have gone by the wayside. “Where are the Hittites?” asks one maincharacter “Why does no one find it remarkable that in mostworld cities today there are Jews but not one single Hittite?”

The Hittites, and the Assyrians and Babylonians and all the rest, lacked something essential and admirable that the Jews possess. The unspoken answer to Percy’srhetorical question, an answer from which those of all faiths and even no current faith can learn, is that something good and wonderful has sustained Jews as apeople, a culture, and afaith. While hatred eventually consumes itself in its own misguided fury,only adeep-rooted love, unsullied by worldly tempests, can so endure. Email Quin Hillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com

Isolationfor theDemocraticParty is gettingworse

We Americans, it seems, continue to live in two separate countries.Consider twoitems in the news this week and the inconsistent responses they evoked One was the conviction in Florida of Ryan Routh, thesecond man who attempted to assassinate then-candidate Donald Trump in mid-September 2024. The news appeared on page A24 of the print edition of The New York Times. Very different treatment was accorded to the return of Jimmy Kimmel, the third-highest-rated of the three broadcastnetwork late-night show hosts, from the suspension imposed on him last week. That action was prompted by Kimmel’sstatement that “the MAGA gang was desperately trying to characterize this kid who murderedCharlieKirk as anything other than one of them, and doing everything theycan to scorepolitical points from it.” Presumably,Kimmel thought he was speaking truth to power,but actually,hewas speakingfalsehood to peoplewho were eager to believe it. This, of course, doesn’t

excuse Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr from issuing thuggish threats that may have persuaded ABC to yank Kimmel from the air —asharp and shamefulcontrast from Carr’s justified protests at Biden administration speech suppression. The government shouldn’tberepressing speech protected by the First Amendment. Still, it’soff-putting that Kimmel is hailed as amartyr for free expression when he was relaying what Biden Democrats were quick to label and often mislabel “misinformation.” Kimmel’smonologue was one example, perhapsanunwittingone, of what my Washington Examiner colleagueTimothyCarney has described as “many prominent public figurespeddling aconspiracy theory that Kirk’s assassin was aRepublican,right-winger,or MAGA type.” That theory was pretty well scotched by the release by law enforcement of emails sent by the accused killer andhis trans boyfriend. ButDemocratic voters are apparently reluctant to draw theobvious conclusion. YouGov

polling conducted after Kirk’s murder showed that 10% of liberals and 24% of “very liberal” people considered it acceptable to be happy about apublic figure’s death, compared to 4% of conservatives and 3% who are “very conservative.”Similarly,conservatives are significantly more likely than liberals to say that political violence is never justified. The difference should not be overstated. Oneofthe strongest and most heartfelt denunciations of political violence after Kirk’s assassination came from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Political assassinations should not be treated as statistically meaningful events and are often theacts of delusional people. Examples include theshooting of then-Democratic Rep.Gabrielle Giffords in 2011 and the murder of former MinnesotaHouse Speaker Melissa Hortman last June. Butviolence from the apparently lucid recently seems to come disproportionately from the Left, dating back at least to the Sanders volunteer who shot four people and grievously wounded then-Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-Metairie, at theHouse Repub-

lican baseball team practice in 2017. Sanders, as Inoted at the time, quicklydenounced that attack unambiguously Sanders is amore prominent voice these days, but one fears that he speakstomany deaf ears. Young liberalsinparticular,as reflected in polls and seen on so manyelite campuses, seem eager to celebrate or engage in political violence.

The liberal influencers whofled Twitter after Elon Musk acquired it and ended the suppression of non-leftist viewsfor the new, all-liberal Bluesky have been isolating themselves from the rest of America. “The progressive epistemic bubble is getting really bad,”writes analyst Nate Silver, aself-described liberal Democrat. “Thatsuggests the bubble is expanding, slowly devouring thereality-based community,and thatformerly rational commentators have trouble escaping it once they’re past the event horizon.”

This past week, aformer teachers union stafferfired gunshots at aSacramentoABC affiliate, apparently protesting the Kimmel suspension,and leftanote saying FBI officials were next. In contrast, Kirk “was one of

the mosteffective institutionbuilders and coalition-crafters in the United States,” China scholar Tanner Greer writes. “He figured out how to makeconservative populism work.” He taught other things as well.

“Wedonot respond to hate with hate,” his widow,Erika Kirk, said at his memorial service, as she forgave the man whokilled her husband.

That surely surprised —astonished —the other half of America that doesn’tshare her views. As Barton Swaim wrote in The Wall Street Journal last week, “Whereas conservatives are obliged to know what their correlatives on the leftsay and write —sopervasive are their ideas and assumptions in our cultural institutions liberals and progressives feel no corresponding need to know the opinions of people on the right.”

The half of America that takes its educational credentials as an imprimatur of moral superiority sees no need to understand the other half and resists acknowledging the violence wreaked by those on its side.

Michael Barone is on X, @MichaelBarone.

completed

QB Nussmeier, Tigers’groundgame bottledupbyRebelsinSEC loss

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

OXFORD,Miss. Garrett Nussmeier seemed poised to deliverLSU another memorable season from another second-year startingquarterback. Thefifth-yearseniorhad shown flashes of brilliance in his first season as the starter.Hewas followinginthe footstepsofJoe Burrow andJayden Daniels, starswho won the Heisman Trophy in theirsecond year at the helm of the LSU offense.

But the first five gamesofNussmeier’s2025 campaign haven’tlived up to that promise,and the latest perfor-

mance took place in LSU’sfirst loss of the season, a24-19 setback to Ole MissonSaturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. “Garrett Nussmeier’s got to play better,”LSU coach BrianKelly said. “Every player on offense has got to playbetter.” Theoffense sputtered through most of the afternoon.The Tigers (4-1, 1-1 SEC) were held to 254 total yards,16 first downs(compared to OleMiss’ 28) and went 2for 11 on third down. Theywere outgained by OleMiss by 226 yards.

ä See LSU, page 6C

If LSUdoesn’t

OXFORD,Miss. TheLSU Tigers have issues. We’ve allknown that all season long,but despite them, LSU ran its record to 4-0 cominginto Saturday’sshowdown with OleMiss. At no time were the problems thrown intosuch sharp relief as theywere by the Rebels LaneKiffin may be an overgrown child, but he is also an offensive whiz, as evidenced by him pulling aformer Division II transfer named Trinidad Chambliss into his laboratory and producing his latest killer quarterback.

The Grove, Ole Miss’ much bal-

lyhooed tailgating oasis, is hot, crowded and overrated. Chambliss, the vaunted LSU defense slayer,isnot. But despite Kiffinand his offense and his new wunderkid, this was agame that was still within the Tigers’ grasp. The Rebels committed awhopping 14 penalties and lost the turnover battle 2-1. They gave LSU chances.

The Tigers failed to take advantage. In LSU’sinability to execute when it needed to most lay the seeds of the

Southern mistakes help rivalJackson Statepullaway

Jaguarspenalized 13 timesinSWACloss

BY TOYLOYBROWN III Staff writer

Winning the BoomBox Classic wasthe goal forSouthernwhenitfaced rivalJackson State, thereigningCelebration Bowl champion. More importantly,the Jaguars were motivatedbytheirfirstopportunitytoget avictory that would count towardthe Southwestern Athletic Conference standings. Making that areality was goingto be achallenge against aJackson State teamthat has been voted the No. 1HBCU team on both BOXTOROW’smedia and coaches pollevery

week sincethe preseason. Southern played inspired ball for the majority of the game,but couldn’tpull off the upset after committing 13 penaltiesfor 111 yards. Southern lost 38-13 on Saturday at A.W. Mumford Stadium, the seventhconsecutive time theJaguars have fallen to the Tigers.

“Wewere playing well, andthenstart shooting ourselves in thefoot,” coach Terrence Graves said. “It’s just asnowball effect, youknow.It’sthe unfortunatething that seemstobethe thing that we’veyet to overcomethis season. We start off fast, but we’re not finishing strong.

Southern (1-4, 0-1 SWAC) was led by Trey Holly,who had11carries for 148 yards and atouchdown. Quarterback Ashton Strother,

ä See SOUTHERN, page 4C

BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS

Altmyer leads Illinois to win over USC

BY STEVE STEIN Associated Press

CHAMPAIGN, Ill Luke Altmyer

drove Illinois to David Olano’s 41-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the No. 23 Illini to a 34-32 victory over No. 21 Southern California on Saturday Altmyer was 20-for-26 passing for 328 yards, helping Illinois bounce back from last weekend’s 63-10 loss at Indiana. He threw for two touchdowns, rushed for another score and caught a TD pass. Illinois (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) opened a 31-17 lead early in the fourth quarter But Southern California (4-1, 2-1) went ahead for the first time on Jayden Maiava’s 16-yard touchdown pass to Makai Lemon with 1:55 left.

The Illini then drove 51 yards in eight plays to set up Olano’s winning kick.

Illinois coach Bret Bielema was confident that Altmyer would respond after Southern Cal grabbed the lead.

“I turned around and looked at Luke before our final drive. He gave me a head nod. That’s all I needed to see,” Bielema said Olano said he wasn’t nervous before the final play

“It was a dream come true, but it was just another kick. Something we work on all the time,” he said.

“I know I kicked the winning field goal, but it’s the guys in the locker

room who really won the game.”

Southern California coach Lincoln Riley was happy about his team’s late rally, but not much else.

“We showed a lot of fight coming back to take the lead, but the reality is we squandered too

many opportunities on both sides of the ball,” he said. Maiava was 30 for 43 for 364 yards and two touchdowns — both to Lemon, who caught 11 passes for 151 yards. Waymond Jordan rushed for 94 yards and two TDs for the Trojans.

Altmyer threw TD passes to Kaden Feagin and Justin Bowick. He caught a touchdown pass from Hank Beatty Beatty has passed for a touchdown, caught a touchdown pass, rushed for a TD and scored on a punt return this season.

TOP 25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL ROUNDUP

Alabama never trails in victory over Georgia

By The Associated Press

ATHENS Ga Ty Simpson passed for 276 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score as No. 17 Alabama held on late to beat No. 5

Georgia 24-21 on Saturday night to hand the Bulldogs their first home loss in six years.

Alabama (3-1, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) has won three straight opening the season with a 31-17 loss at Florida State.

Georgia (3-1, 1-1) fell behind 17-7 in the first half and never led The Bulldogs fell to 1-7 against Alabama under coach Kirby Smart, the Crimson Tide’s former defensive coordinator. Alabama ended Georgia’s home winning streak at 33 It was the longest active streak among FBS schools and included 10 wins against Top 25 teams With the Crimson Tide leading 24-21 early in the fourth quarter, defensive lineman LT Overton dropped Georgia running back Cash Jones for a 2-yard loss on a fourth-and-1 run from the Alabama 8. After making another defensive stop, Alabama held the ball for the final 3 minutes, 19 seconds.

Georgia trailed 21-7 at halftime of its a 44-41 overtime win at Tennessee last week. After falling behind 17-7 against the Crimson Tide, the Bulldogs couldn’t complete another comeback.

No. 9 TEXAS A&M 16, AUBURN 10: Le’Veon Moss ran for a careerhigh 139 yards and a touchdown and Texas A&M held off Auburn to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 2016.

Texas A&M’s offense struggled at times, but the defense was solid all day, holding the Tigers to 176 yards and 0 of 12 on thirddown attempts. Quarterback Marcel Reed is proud to have helped the Aggies (4-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) w to their best start since winning the first six games of the 2016 season.

No. 16 GEORGIA TECH 30, WAKE FOREST 29, OT: In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Georgia Tech intercepted Wake Forest’s 2-point play for the win in overtime to help the 16th-ranked Yellow Jackets edge the Demon Deacons, capping a wild day that saw them rally from 17 down in the third quarter to stay unbeaten.

Haynes King ran for two touchdowns to lead the Yellow Jackets

Alabama wide receiver Isaiah Horton reacts after scoring a touchdown against Georgia on Saturday in Athens, Ga

(5-0, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), including a tough 2-yard keeper to start the OT The Demon Deacons (2-2, 0-2) responded with Demond Claiborne’s nextplay 25-yard scoring run to the left pylon

But with Claiborne shaken up on the play and quarterback Robby Ashford hobbled, first-year coach Jake Dickert played for the win. Ashford rolled to his right looking for a target, but ultimately had to force the ball back toward the middle — where E.J. Lightsey picked it off at the goal line to end it.

No. 18 VANDERBILT 55, UTAH ST 35: In Nashville, Diego Pavia threw five touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead Vanderbilt over Utah State.

Pavia completed 26 of 34 passes for 321 yards and rushed for 79 yards. He became the second Vanderbilt quarterback since 1996 to collect six-plus touchdowns in a game and tied the program’s single-game passing touchdown record alongside Johnny McCrary (2014), Jay Cutler (2005) and Bill Wade (1950).

No 22 NOTRE DAME 56, ARKANSAS 13:

In Fayetteville, Arkansas, CJ Carr matched a Notre Dame freshman record with four touchdown passes and Jeremiyah Love caught two scoring passes and rushed for two more scores as the Fighting Irish beat Arkansas.

Carr went 22 for 30 passing for 354 yards and matched the TD passing record set by Ron Powlus, who threw for four scores in his first career game against Northwestern in 1994. Carr, a redshirt

freshman, threw for 294 yards and the four TDs in the first half, leading scoring drives of 75, 73, 75, 70, 75 and 45 yards. He did not play in the fourth quarter as Notre Dame led by 36 points.

No 1 OHIO STATE 24, WASHINGTON 6: In Seattle, Julian Sayin completed 22 of 28 passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns to help Ohio State beat Washington in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

Jeremiah Smith had seven catches for 62 yards and a touchdown, an 18-yard strike that gave Ohio State (4-0) a 7-3 lead with 1:08 left in the first half. On thirdand-11, Sayin avoided a sevenman blitz to locate Smith. Ohio State coasted the rest of the way. CJ Donaldson had a 1-yard touchdown run midway through the third quarter and caught a touchdown pass in the fourth.

No. 11 INDIANA 20, IOWA 15: In Iowa City, Iowa, Fernando Mendoza threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt with 1:28 to play to give Indiana a win over Iowa. Mendoza connected with Sarratt, who had six catches for 132 yards, on a slant route down the left side and Sarratt broke the tackle attempt of Iowa’s Deshaun Lee on his way to the touchdown. Indiana (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten), which came into the game ranked second nationally in total offense and scoring offense, was held to 337 yards and its lowest scoring output of the season But the Hoosiers got two touchdown passes from Mendoza, who threw for 233 yards, and two field goals from Nico Radicic. No. 15 TENNESSEE 41, MISSISSIPPI STATE 34, OT: In Starkville, Missis-

Ex-LSU defensive leader

Reese dies at age 82

Former LSU defensive coordinator Carl “Bull” Reese has died, according to multiple reports. He was 82.

Reese came to LSU in 1995 with then-head coach Gerry DiNardo, whom he worked under at Vanderbilt.

Reese stayed at LSU through the 1997 season, his defense helping the Tigers topple a No. 1 team for the first time with a 28-21 upset of Florida.

Reese, whose career spanned more than 40 seasons, left LSU for Texas in 1998 to serve as defensive coordinator under Mack Brown, himself a one-time LSU quarterbacks coach.

Born in 1943, Reese played collegiately at Missouri from 196265. He later coached at his alma mater, as well as Kansas, Virginia, Navy, Miami (Ohio) and with the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL.

Lnyx head coach Reeve suspended for one game

The WNBA suspended Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve for one game for her behavior and comments during and after the Lynx’s 84-76 loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night.

Reeve, who was also fined, will serve the suspension on Sunday when the Lynx play the Mercury in Game 4. Minnesota trails the bestof-five series 2-1. In her postgame rant, Reeve called for the WNBA to make changes at the league level when it comes to officiating. Reeve focused her anger on the three game officials: Isaac Barnett, Randy Richardson and Jenna Reneau.

“The officiating crew that we had tonight — for the leadership to deem those three people semifinals playoff worthy is (expletive) malpractice,” she said.

Alcaraz shakes bum ankle to reach quarters in Japan

TOKYO Carlos Alcaraz advanced to the quarterfinals of the Japan Open with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Zizou Bergs on Saturday and then paid tribute to his physiotherapist after an ankle injury scare.

sippi, Joey Aguilar forced overtime with a 6-yard touchdown run with 1:55 left and DeSean Bishop scored on a 25-yard run on the first play of the extra session in Tennessee’s victory over Mississippi State.

Tennessee sacked Blake Shapen five times and had 11 tackles for loss while turning in two defensive touchdowns on an interception and fumble return.

Tennessee was held to around 3 yards per carry until Bishop’s run and the Bulldogs outgained the Vols on the ground, 198-131. No 14 IOWA STATE 39, ARIZONA 14: In Ames, Iowa, Rocco Becht rushed for three touchdowns and threw for 243 yards, Carson Hansen ran for two scores and Iowa State beat Arizona.

Chase Sowell caught four passes for a career-high 146 yards, including receptions of 43, 32 and 52 yards.

Becht completed 14 of 20 passes for the Cyclones (5-0, 2-0 Big 12), who led 36-7 midway through the third quarter His nation-leading streak of consecutive games with a touchdown ended at 22.

No. 20 MISSOURI 42, UMASS 6: In Columbia, Missouri, Beau Pribula completed a Missourirecord 21 straight passes, Ahmad Hardy ran for 130 yards and three touchdowns and the Tigers beat UMass to improve to 5-0.

Hardy sparked the Tigers’ opening drive, gaining 41 yards on four carries before limping off the field after a tackle. While Hardy headed to the medical tent, Jamal Roberts finished off the drive with a 9-yard touchdown run.

No. 6 OREGON 30, No. 3 PENN STATE 24, 2 OT: In State College, Pennsylvania, Dillon Thieneman intercepted Drew Allar’s pass in the second overtime period and Oregon outlasted Penn State.

Jamari Johnson ran for a touchdown in overtime, Dierre Hill Jr caught a touchdown pass, Jordan Davison ran for another score and Atticus Sappington kicked a field goal for the Ducks (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) who won their FBS-leading 23rd straight regular-season game.

Devonte Ross caught a 35-yarder from Allar earlier in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough to keep Penn State from falling to 4-21 against AP Top 10 teams since James Franklin became coach.

The top-ranked Alcaraz landed awkwardly on his left ankle during his opening match Thursday and was unsure how he would feel against Bergs. He held up well, saying he “could play normally.”

“It was tough and it was a really important day and a half I had to recover as good as I could,” Alcaraz said when asked about his ankle “I have said it before and I will say it again, I have the best physio in the world, who I trust 100%.”

Blazers guard Henderson tears his left hamstring

Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson tore his left hamstring this week and will miss basketball activities for four to eight weeks.

The team said Friday that Henderson was injured during an offseason workout.

The Trail Blazers are set to open training camp next week for the upcoming season. Even if he’s able to return in four weeks, Henderson likely would miss the team’s first few games.

Henderson was expected to take on a bigger role with Portland this season after the departure of Anfernee Simons, who was traded to the Boston Celtics.

Henderson, 21, averaged 12.7 points, 5.1 assists and 3.0 rebounds last season. He was the third overall pick in the 2023 draft.

PGA Tour golfer Knapp mourns his girlfriend

PGA golfer Jake Knapp is grieving the death of his girlfriend of two years, Makena White, describing her as selfless toward others and filled with energy

A friend of White posted on her Instagram page that she died earlier this week. The update did not mention how she died, and Knapp chose not to share details.

“It’s an understatement to say how hard all of this is to process for everyone who knew Mak, especially her family and friends, who deserve privacy and respect during this difficult time,” Knapp said in comments his manager sent to The Associated Press.

Knapp won in his rookie season on the PGA Tour last year at the Mexico Open. He also shot 59 earlier this year at the Cognizant Classic.

have

Duo of Jones, Davis gives Live Oak offense a spark

East Ascension has best start since 2019

BY JACKSON REYES Staff writer

Several schools kicked off district play in a Week 4 that delivered more fun games. Here are three takeaways from this past week.

Live Oak offense clicking

Last season, the Eagles finished 3-7 and averaged just 17.2 points per game. Four games into 2025, Live Oak is 2-2 and averaging 37 points per game.

After a rough 48-13 loss to St. Paul’s, the Eagles dropped 42 points against Dunham in a loss. They’ve since scored 55 and 38 points in their past two wins.

So what’s sparked the improvement?

Look no further than senior quarterback Cayden Jones and junior wide receiver Cash Davis In the Eagles’ 38-31 win against Walker on Friday Jones finished 25 of 32 for 270 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for two scores. Davis caught eight passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns. The duo has been lighting up defenses every week.

East Ascension off to good start

The Spartans took down Denham Springs 26-20 on Friday in Gonzales to move to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in District 5-5A play

The 3-1 start is East Ascension’s best start since it went 9-3 in 2019. After a 3-8 campaign last season, the Spartans have turned things around quickly this year

The Spartans’ other two wins came in a 50-44 win against Salmen and a 25-14 victory over Sam Houston. The team’s lone loss was a 29-

22 defeat to Brother Martin (4-0) East Ascension will meet Live Oak in a Week 5 district showdown to see which team has taken the biggest step forward this season.

Déjà vu for Plaquemine

Last season, the Green Devils opened their season with a loss to Zachary and proceeded to win their next three games, including a District 6-4A victory over Brusly This year? A season-opening loss to Zachary, and then three straight wins. The third, like last year, came against Brusly in a 20-12 win on the road Friday night. Plaquemine finished 2024 with a 12-2 record, with the team’s second

loss coming in the state semifinals.

The Green Devils still have plenty of games before they can think about the playoffs, but coach Donald Williams thought his side passed a big test Friday night.

Brusly drove into the red zone six times against Plaquemine, but the Panthers came away with points just twice.

The Green Devils gave Brusly senior quarterback Drake Vincent fits all night, intercepting him four times, including a pick-six.

Williams said he wanted his side to learn how to handle adversity and the red-zone defense played a big part in his team practicing what he preaches.

Central Lafourche, 123. 3. Dutchtown, 137. 4. Episcopal, 173. 5. E.D. White, 192. 6. Catholic High, 209. 7. Lafayette, 273. 8. Denham Springs, 292. 9. Mandeville,

15:41.02. 12. Joshua Daulton, Ruston, 15:42.83. 13. Kaleb Weber, Dutchtown, 15:44.33. 14. Max Tsolakis,

LSU releases 2026 gymnastics schedule

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

ket Collegiate Quad in West Valley City, Utah. After beginning SEC competition Jan. 16 at Georgia, the Tigers will return to Baton Rouge on Jan 23 for their home opener against Kentucky LSU will have four other regular-season home meets: Penn State, Feb. 6; Auburn, Feb. 13; Alabama, Feb. 27; and Arkansas, March 13. LSU will also host an NCAA regional April 3-5 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center The school also confirmed it is moving the annual Gymnastics 101 exhibition meet from December to Jan. 2.

The Tigers will also compete once again in the Podium Challenge on March 1 at the Raising Cane’s River Center and will also be on the road at Missouri, Oklahoma and Florida.

For more LSU sports updates, sign

Nola shakes off rough season, heats up ahead of playoffs

Former LSU star has shown he might be valuable in postseason

BY DAN GELSTON Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA Aaron Nola’s season has gone so haywire, from ankle and rib injuries to old-fashioned inconsistency, that the righthander who anchored the rotation for most of the past decade could get dumped to the Phillies bullpen in the playoffs. Against the Twins, Nola delivered an outing worthy of staking his claim in the October rotation Nola took a perfect game into the sixth inning, moved into second on Philadelphia’s career strikeout list and proved he could have some postseason value for the NL East champion Phillies in a 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Friday night.

Nola (5-10) allowed two hits and struck out nine without a walk over eight innings.

“That’s who he is,” manager Rob Thomson said. Nola ended his worst year since he broke in with the Phillies in

2015 with easily the best start of his season. He pitched eight innings for the first time since he tossed a shutout against the New York Mets in May 2024. Nola also struck out Edouard Julien to end the fifth inning for his 1,872nd career strikeout, putting him second behind Hall of Famer Steve Carlton on the franchise’s list.

Nola snapped a tie with Hall of Famer Robin Roberts. A four-time Cy Young Award winner with the Phillies, Carlton had 3,031 strikeouts with the franchise.

“It’s humbling, for sure, to be on the list with those guys,” Nola said.

The Phillies rotation seems set headed into next weekend’s NL Division Series.

With ace Zack Wheeler sidelined as he recovers from surgery to remove a blood clot in his throwing shoulder Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo and Ranger Suárez appear lined up to start the first three playoff games.

Thomson said he would consider using Nola out of the bullpen in the playoffs. A possible bullpen role would be an adjustment for Nola

— he has never made a relief appearance in 285 regular-season appearances and said his last relief appearance probably came when

he was a freshman at LSU.

“We’d certainly give him enough time if that were the case to make sure he’s ready,” Thomson said.

Nola has made 16 postseason starts over the past three seasons with the Phillies that includes a 3-1 mark with a 2.35 ERA in 2023.

“I’ll do whatever, man,” Nola said. “Do whatever to help the guys win. Everybody’s goal is the same in here. We want to get back to the World Series and win it. It’s a long road to there. It starts with the DS, and we’ve got to play good baseball.”

Nola did not allow a baserunner against the Twins until Christian Vázquez hit a solo shot in the sixth to make it 2-1, and he pitched out of a jam in the seventh.

The 32-year-old Nola — signed to a $172 million, seven-year contract ahead of the 2024 season was drafted seventh overall by Philadelphia in 2014 and had been one of the most durable pitchers since his 2015 big league debut. Even as this season unraveled with a 1-7 record and a 6.16 ERA over his first nine starts, Thomson’s confidence in his onetime ace never wavered.

“You know it’s there,” Thomson said. “I don’t worry about him at all. I really don’t.”

JACKSONST. 38,SOUTHERN13

THREEAND OUT: TOyLOy BROWN’STAKEAWAyS

PARKING ISSUES REMAIN

1

Southernmade the right decision to start quarterback AshtonStrotherfor the first time this season, making him the third signalcaller to getastart.The junior didn’t have the same pocket presence as he did against Fresno State in relief, as he missed openreceivers too often.While Strother only had one big mistake with ared-zone interception,hewasn’t able to find atruerhythm throughout.

PENALTIES GALORE

2

Southernand JacksonState were among the leadersinpenalties per game in the SouthwesternAthletic Conference.The Jaguars were clearly the more undisciplined team,as theyhad momentum-killing holding penalties on offense. In the first half, Southernhad nine penaltiesfor 75 yards, which was 35 more yards than its opponent.The mistakes piled up and Southernwas unabletorebound.

FIELD GOAL IMPROVEMENT

3

The Southern field goal unit wasmuch improvedafter the byeweek.The Jaguars entered the game only 2of6 on kicks and had one blockedinback-to-back games.Theywere dialed early as freshman kicker Nathan Zimmer kicked the ball notably higher.When Southernwas unable to find the end zone, the special-teams seemed to keep the team uplifted as points were added after field goals from 37 and 42 yards.

STAFF PHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS

Southernrunning backTreyHolly runs through ahole in Jackson State’sdefense during their game SaturdayatA.W.Mumford Stadium. Southernlost its SWAC opener 38-13

SOUTHERN

Continued from page1C

who made his first startofthe season, had 120 yards passing and an interception. He completed 10 of 20 passes.

Jackson Statequarterback JaCobian Morgan completed 21 of 31 passes for 337 yards and two touchdowns.

Southern’sbiggest blunder was a fourth-down roughing-the-kickerpenalty from the Jackson State 10-yard line with 56 seconds left before halftime.The penalty gaveJackson Stateafirst down, which allowed it to continueits drive. The mishap resultedina 51-yardtouchdown pass from Morgan to wide receiver Ja’Naylon Dupree.

The score gave theTigersa17-13lead at halftime.

Before Southern’scostly penalty, Jackson State (3-1, 1-0) had the first major mistake of the game, muffinga punt return. Tigers defensive back Mike Smith didn’t cleanly catch the ball, and it was picked up by Southern tight endJermaine Minor, who was broughtdown at the opponent’s 10-yard line.

The Jaguars didn’t fullycapitalize on the advantageous field position. After acouple of unsuccessful run plays and penalties backed it up to the 20-yard line, Southern freshman Nathan Zimmer kicked a37-yardfield goal for a3-0 edge

The freshman bested himself in the following drive,making a41-yard field goal. During that drive, Southern coach Terrence Graves inserted backup quarterback Cam’Ron McCoy on third and14. He looked to runbut then pitched it fora five-yard loss.

Holly left his imprintwith10:33 remaining in the second quarter. After his offensivelinecreated agap on the left side of the line of scrimmage, Holly sprinted through the space and was untouched on a73-yardtouchdown, giving the Jaguars a13-10 lead with fiveminutes remaining in thesecond quarter

Strother wasn’tassuccessful apasser compared to his last gameagainst Fresno State.

“I just got to get back to the filmroom and learnmore, and,you know,connect on some of those deep, deeper passes,” Strother said.

His bestdeliverycamewhen he evaded pressureinthe backfield and threw amedium pass to Darren Morris, who turned upfield for a38-yard reception to the opposing 17-yard line.

But four plays later,Strotherthrew a pass that was coveredtightly in the end zone. The intended receiver was tight end Dupree Fuller,but the ball was taken

Southernquarterback Ashton Strother throws adeep pass during agame against Jackson State on Saturday. Strother made his first startofthe season and finished with 120 yards passingand an interception. He completed 10 of 20 passes.

Jackson State 38, Southern 13 Jackson State 7107 14 —38 Southern 3100 0— 13

First quarter SU —Nathan Zimmer 37 FG,8:03 JSU —Donerio Davenport1 run(Gerardo Baezakick), 4:41

Second quarter

SU —Zimmer 41 FG,14:12

SU —TreyHolly73run (Zimmer kick), 10:34 JSU —Baeza33FG, 5:00 JSU —Ja’Naylon Dupree 51 pass from JaCobianMorgan (Baezakick), :05 Thirdquarter JSU —Davenport3run (Baezakick), 8:58

Fourth quarter JSU —Travis Terrell5 run(Baezakick), 8:00

JSU —Nate Rembert 82 pass from Morgan (Baeza kick), 4:09 A— 27, 487

downs

of Possession32:17

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING —Jackson State, Miller 14-101, Terrell 11-51, Davenport8-24,Blount 2-8, Morgan 4-5, Christopher 1-4, Moss 1-4.Southern, Holly 11-147, Franklin 917, Gabriel 3-17, McCoy1-4, Strother 8-minus 5. PASSING —Jackson State, Morgan, 21-31-0,337 yards. Southern, Strother 10-20-1,120 yards.

RECEIVING —Jackson State, Rembert 5-102, Gardner 7-96, Dupree 5-93. Riley 2-39,Henderson 1-7.Southern, Morris2-50,Stephens 1-20, Holly 2-17,Brown 3-17, Hicks 1-11,Fuller 1-5. MISSED FIELD GOALS —Baeza, 36,30.

away by JacksonStatedefensiveback Kam Sallis. When asked about the interception,

Strother saidheshouldn’t have made a pass. “Just got ajust got to tuck it and run it,” he said. “Just be smarter with the football.”

Grave said that his quarterback played “decent.”

“He missed somebig throws, had some opportunities to throw the ball, but, you know,I thinkhemanaged the gamepretty good,”hesaid. The turnover set up Jackson State’s end-of-quartertouchdown drive that swung themomentum.

TheJackson State defense tightened in thesecond half, keeping Strotheroff balanceand limiting allthe other running backs not named Holly.Southern was scoreless in the second half “We’ve gotto(realize) each play hasa life of its own,” Strother said. “We’ve got to go focusonthatplayand trytoexecute to our best ability. We’ve got to fix those false startsand stuff thatput us behind the chains and just continuetojustexecute better.”

McCoy entered the game at quarterback for one play asecondtimeinthe game, rushing for 4yards. Southern will have an open date and play its next game against Bethune-Cookman at 3p.m. Oct. 11 at Daytona Stadium in Daytona Beach, Florida.

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

Jaguars fritteraway momentum late in half

BY TOYLOYBROWN III Staff writer

Southern seemed confident with 10:33 left in the second quarter of Saturday night’s SWAC showdownwith Jackson State.

After a73-yard rushing touchdown by Trey Holly gave Southern a 13-7lead, the Jaguars appeared prepared to earn arevenge win against the opponent that beat theminthe Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game last season and in the six previous meetings.

After Southern gave up a field goal, they drove the ball downfield and reached the Tigers’ 19-yard line. Coach Terrence Graves’ team seemed destined for at least afield goal if not a touchdown. Instead, the firsttime starting quarterback Ashton Strother threw atight-window pass to tight end Dupree Fuller that wasintercepted. Southern’sdefense held strong initially after the first and only turnover of the game. The unit prevented afirst down after three plays. However,a roughing-the-kicker penalty on fourth downgave Jackson State afirst downand seemingly all of the momentum Graves saidthe combination of the interception andthe penalty turned the tide in the game. The second-year coach said he warnedhis team before the turnover to avoidunnecessary errors.

“It’s frustrating, because right before thetimeout, Itoldthem, right at the timeout, Isaid, ‘We gottoprotect thefootball. Got to protect the football.’ And we turn the ball over,and thenwe go out, andwegot them backed up and and then we run into the kicker.And so then, you know,it starts snowballing.”

When the Jaguars defense returned to thefieldwith53seconds remaining before halftime after thepenalty,Southern’s secondary hadablown coverage assignment that helped Jackson State gain 51-yard receiving touchdownwith seconds leftbefore intermission.

“We’re thinking that we’re going to play acoverage that is going to eliminate the deep ball, andsomehow guys wide open,” Graves said. “I’vegot to see the film to see what actually happened, but it’svery disappointing. And we got to, we got to fix it, and we will get it fixed because,again, that’sthe only thingI know howtodoiswork and find the solutions. We’re not going to laydown. That’swhat we’re not going to do.”

Southern safety Herman Brister, who returned frominjury and finished thegamewitheight tackles, said the team felt it playedwellfor most of the first half but relented at the wrong time.

“Wefeltlike we had full control,” Brister said. “Wepunched (them) in themouth (tostart) the game,and we diditthe whole first half

“Wejust can’tlet those big plays happenand affect us the rest of the game.”

Injuries

Southern safety Horacio Johnson didn’tfinish the game after getting injured. The preseason AllSWAC first-team defenderwas missedinthe defensive backfield forthe Jaguars.

“Horaciowas outand you knowthathurts us on the back end, whenour bell cow is (not) outbackthere,”Graves said “But (you’ve) still got to play.” Southern was also without starting right tackle BryanWallace,who wasina boot on the sideline.

Lagniappe

Saturday was the73rd meeting betweenSouthernand Jackson State. After theloss, theJaguars lead the series 37-36. Jackson State entered the gamewith the best defense in theSWAC, allowing the fewest yards (282.7) and points per game(17.3). Southern had 300 total yards; Jackson State finished with 534.

Europe takesrecordleadatRyder Cup

Newyorkfansgave Europe astronger challengethanthe

American players

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

FARMINGDALE, N.Y.— Europe painted

Bethpage Black in blue scores

Saturday with exquisite golf that demolished and disheartened the Americans, and proved to be the best response to aNew York RyderCup crowd that was so hostile that extra security was broughtin to keep it from getting worse.

When along, loud and obnoxious day ended, Europe set arecord for the largest lead going intoSunday singles under the format that dates to 1979: Europe 111/2,USA 41/2 “I didn’timagine this,” European captain LukeDonald said. “Every time the Americans cameatus, we came back. The resiliency and confidence theyhave is really, trulyincredible.”

Rory McIlroy caught the brunt of verbal abuse and at one point turned to thespectators and said, “Shut the (expletive) up.” And then he stuffed his shot to 5feet for birdie that closed out the foursomes match for another blue point. It was like that all day.The louder the crowd, the better Europe

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATT SLOCUM

Shane LowryofEuropereacts after winningamatch on the 18thhole at the BethpageBlack golf course during the Ryder CuponSaturday in Farmingdale, N.y

played. And barring the greatestcomeback —orcollapse —in RyderCup history,the Europeans will be heading back across the Atlantic Ocean with thatprecious goldtrophy

“I’m seeingwhat looks like to be historical putting. They’re making everything,” U.S. captain Keegan Bradley said. “They’re a great team. They’re great players. They’re atoughteam to beat.”

The previous record after the four sessions of team play was 115. No team has rallied from more

thanafour-point deficit on the last day.Europe needs to win only three of the 12 singles matches for theoutright win. ScottieScheffler also made it intothe Ryder Cup record book. The world’sNo. 1player is thefirst to go 0-4 under thecurrent format Nothing summed up theweek for the Americansquite like the 10th hole in fourballs. Tommy Fleetwood hit awedge about 2feet under the hole.Schefflerfollowed with ashot that hit thehole and the base of the pin, then caromed into

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. Resultsfromthe 45thRyder Cup at Bethpage Black: EUROPE 11 1/2,UNITED STATES 4 1/2

Foursomes Europe 3, UnitedState 1 Bryson DeChambeau and CameronYoung, United States, def. Matt Fitzpatrick and Ludvig Aberg, Europe,4and 2. Rory McIlroy and TommyFleetwood, Europe def. HarrisEnglish and Collin Morikawa, United

3and 2.

Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, Europe, def.

Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, United States, 3and 2. RobertMacIntyreand Viktor Hovland, Europe, def. Russell Henley and Scottie Scheffler, UnitedStates,1up. Fourballs Europe 3, UnitedStates 1 Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry,Europe, def Justin Thomas and CameronYoung, United States, 2up. TommyFleetwood and JustinRose, Europe, def. Scottie Scheffler andBrysonDeChambeau, United States,3and 2. J.J. Spaun and XanderSchauffele,United States, def. JonRahm andSeppStraka, Europe, 1up. TyrrellHatton and Matt Fitzpatrick,Europe, def. Sam Burnsand Patrick Cantlay, United States, 1up.

therough.

But it wasfar morethan one shot. Europeholed putts from big and small, often getting shouted at by the spectators as they linedup theshots. Nothing stopped them

The Americans had alead in only three of the70holes played in fourballsSaturdayafternoon. U.S. Open championJ.J. Spaun hitittight on the 17th and 18th for birdiesasheand fellowSan Diego State alum Xander Schauffele squeezed out one of only twoU.S. points on the day

The other belonged to Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Young

SCOREBOARD

1-1) at N.Y. Yankees (Gil 4-1), 2:05 p.m. Chicago White Sox(Smith 6-8)atWashington (TBD), 2:05 p.m. Detroit (Skubal 13-6) at Boston (TBD), 2:05 p.m. Kansas City (Ragans 3-3) at Athletics (TBD) 2:05 p.m. Minnesota (Woods Richardson 7-4)atPhiladelphia (Sánchez 13-5), 2:05 p.m. Houston (TBD)atL.A. Angels(Aldegheri 0-1), 2:07 p.m. TampaBay (Seymour 4-2) at Toronto (TBD), 2:07 p.m. L.A. Dodgers (Kershaw10-2) at Seattle (Miller 4-5), 2:10 p.m. Texas(TBD)atCleveland (TBD), 2:10 p.m. National League

Sunday’s Games Chicago White Sox(Smith 6-8)atWashington (TBD), 2:05 p.m. Colorado (Brown0-4) at San

(Webb 14-11), 2:05 p.m. Minnesota (Woods Richardson 7-4)atPhiladelphia (Sánchez 13-5),2:05 p.m. Arizona (Pfaadt 13-8) at San Diego (TBD), 2:10 p.m. Cincinnati (Singer 14-11)atMilwaukee (Peralta 17-6), 2:10 p.m. L.A. Dodgers(Kershaw10-2)atSeattle (Miller 4-5),2:10 p.m. N.Y. Mets (TBD)atMiami (Cabrera7-7) 2:10 p.m. Pittsburgh at Atlanta ,2:15 p.m. St. Louis at ChicagoCubs ,2:20 p.m. Wild CardGlance American League WL PctWCGB y-Boston 88 72 .550 +2 z-New York 93 68 .578 Detroit 86 74 .538

A&T 30 Morgan St. 24, Miles17 Navy 21, Rice13 New Hampshire24, Albany(NY) 6 Oregon 30, Penn St. 24 Princeton 38, Lafayette 28 Sacred Heart 35, Delaware St. 31 Stonehill10, LIU Brooklyn 3 StonyBrook 35, Merrimack 10 Towson 26, Bryant 24 Uconn 20, Buffalo17 Utah 48, West Virginia14 Villanova 31, William&Mary 24

18, Norfolk St. 13 Yale 41, Cornell 24 SOUTH Alabama 24, Georgia21 Alabama St. 42, Florida A&M 14 AustinPeay42, Utah Tech 10 Bethune-Cookman41, Alabama A&M 34 Charleston Southern 31, SC State24 E. Kentucky 27, Nicholls 7 Elon 41, Hampton 20 Furman 31, Samford13 Georgia Tech 30, Wake Forest 29, OT Jackson St. 38, Southern U. 13 James Madison35,

in the opening foursomes match.

The New York fans didn’tturn on the Americans fortheir performance. They cranked up the noise against Europe, shouting at them in the moments before —but not during —their shots, booing at every turn.

“Look, in between shots, say whatever youwanttome,” McIlroy said. “That’stotally fine. Give us the respect to let us hit shots, andgiveusthe same chance that the Americans have.”

New York State policespokesmanBeau Duffy said two fans were ejected.The PGA of America said it addedsecurity to theMcIlroy match andthe otherthree.It also posted amessage on the large videoboards on “Spectator Etiquette.”

“Attendees consuming alcohol should do so in aresponsible manner.Overly intoxicated attendees will be removed from the premises.”

Fansbooed when themessage wasdisplayed.

McIlroy ultimately got the last laugh. He has wonall four of his matches and can become the first European to go 5-0 on the road.

Whatever chances theAmericanshad might have ended on the final hole of the final match. Patrick Cantlay holed afew morebig putts to keep them in the game, and awin on the 18th hole would have cut the deficit to five points.

OLE MISS 24, LSU 19

BOX SCORE

LSU defense keeps tallying turnovers

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

The LSU defense gave it chances The LSU offense just couldn’t cash them in. And now the No. 4 Tigers (4-1) have one loss, but not because they aren’t winning turnover battles. They intercepted Florida quarterback DJ Lagway five times in Week 3, then forced two more timely turnovers on Saturday in their 24-19 road loss to Ole Miss.

The LSU offense did just enough against the Gators. But it did far too little against the No. 13 Rebels (5-0), whose high-powered offense possessed the ball for 32 minutes and rolled up 480 total yards in its win over the Tigers.

LSU now has seven interceptions this season — one more than it snagged all of last year

On Saturday, it was cornerback PJ Woodland who lifted the Tigers over that mark. The sophomore broke up a pass from Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss in the third quarter, caught it on a bobble and returned it 31 yards down the sideline.

In the second quarter, the Rebels (5-0) drove to the LSU 4-yard line, only for safety AJ Haulcy to punch the ball loose from receiver Cayden Lee, forcing a fumble that star linebacker Whit Weeks recovered in the end zone. Those turnovers kept the score close. But the LSU offense managed just three points off those turnovers. The fumble led to a punt. The interception led to a 48-yard field goal, even though it set up the Tigers at the Ole Miss’ 47-yard line.

Offensive starters injured LSU lost three offensive starters to injuries on Saturday: receiver Aaron Anderson, right tackle Weston Davis and left guard Paul Mubenga Anderson — a redshirt junior who’s leading the Tigers in receiving this season — suffered a strained elbow in the first half, per the game’s ABC broadcast. Davis, a redshirt freshman, “was nicked up” during pregame warmups, according to the LSU radio network. Mubenga appeared to suffer a lower-body injury on a run play in the third quarter

Anderson tried to play through the injury with a brace on his right elbow He later was seen walking gingerly to the sideline near the end of LSU’s final drive of the second quarter.

Davis did not dress out. Freshman Carius Curne started in his place. Curne began the game as the backup right tackle after LSU’s sixth offensive lineman, redshirt sophomore DJ Chester, was flagged for targeting in the second half last week against Southeastern Louisiana and was suspended for the first half vs. the Rebels.

Davis started for LSU in each of its first four contests. He had allowed a team-high 14 quarterback pressures before Saturday, according to Pro Football Focus.

Chester replaced him at right tackle to begin the second half of the win over the Lions, but LSU coach Brian Kelly said on Monday that the Tigers did not have a competition at that spot.

“He needed a break,” Kelly said when asked about his decision to replace Davis with Chester. “We needed to get him back to where he needs to be as one of the five guys working together So, it was a good learning experience for him.”

Last year Anderson paced LSU receivers in both receptions (61) and yards (884) He starred at Edna Karr in New Orleans, then began his collegiate career at Alabama before he transferred to LSU ahead of the 2023 season. Redshirt freshman Coen Echols played left guard in place of Mubenga.

Durham sits LSU is hoping to improve its rushing offense, and it tried to do so Saturday without its leading ball carrier Caden Durham, a sophomore, missed the game with an ankle injury he suffered the week prior against Southeastern Louisiana.

LSU listed him as questionable to suit up against the Rebels in its availability reports throughout the week, then ruled him out of action shortly before kickoff Saturday In his absence, the offense struggled. It finished with only 22 carries for 57 yards. Five-star freshman Harlem Berry was the leading rusher, and he scored one of the Tigers’ two touchdowns, but he finished with only 22 yards on seven carries. Durham has 52 carries for 213 yards and two touchdowns this season. Before Saturday, LSU was averaging 117 yards rushing per game, which ranked 112th among FBS teams and 15th among SEC squads. Ole Miss was allowing its opponents to rush for 191 yards each week one of the 15 highest rates in the country — before the game. Koki Riley contributed to this report.

Nussmeier completed 21 of 34 passes for 197 yards and appeared hobbled throughout. He was outplayed by his counterpart, Ferris State transfer and Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss He completed 23 of 39 throws for 314 yards and a touchdown. He consistently made big throws into tight windows and made plays with his legs.

Chambliss completed six throws of 20 or more yards while Nussmeier had just two.

“He’s a heck of a football player,” junior linebacker Whit Weeks said of Chambliss, “and he played good tonight.” Kelly reiterated that Nussmeier is healthy Nussmeier declined to comment on his health.

“Look, all I can tell you is (this), he’s healthy,” Kelly said. “And again, I think he would tell you — just like TyreeAdamswouldtellyou,justlike Chris Hilton would tell you, Bauer Sharp would tell you — we need to play better and more consistent on the offensive side of the ball.”

The LSU running backs also couldn’t generate much on the ground to help their quarterback. The Tigers ran the ball just nine times in the first half and finished with 57 yards rushing on 22 attempts.

“I think we did a good job running the ball in the second half,” said Nussmeier, despite LSU averaging 2.5 yards per carry in the second half. “I think that’s an area that we’ve continued to try and improve on.”

LSU had a chance to win the game in the fourth quarter, cutting Ole Miss’ 11-point lead to five after Nussmeier orchestrated a 15-play, 80-yard drive that ended in a touchdown for freshman running back Harlem Berry After not touching the ball in the first half, Berry was LSU’s featured back in the second. He finished with seven carries for 22 yards and the 6-yard touchdown run with 5:04 remain-

ing in the game. Ole Miss (5-0, 3-0 SEC) was able to eat the clock on the ensuing drive. The Rebels leaned on their strong run game and Chambliss’ legs before Chambliss connected with tight end Dae’Quan Wright on fourth and 3 with 1:37 left to seal the win. The Rebels extended their lead to 24-13 on an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that ended on a 6-yard scoring carry from former LSU running back Logan Diggs. A key play came on third and 14 when Chambliss hit wide receiver Harrison Wallace for an 18-yard gain. The throw placed Ole Miss at

the LSU 35. Five plays later, Diggs was in the end zone. Third down was an issue for the LSU defense. Ole Miss converted on 8 of 17 attempts despite facing an average down and distance of 8.4 yards.

“It’s third and 14 right at the end of the game, and we’re in Cover 2, and they throw a dig on us,” Kelly said. “Like we’ve got five under on that. We should eat that up.”

A sack stalled LSU’s first drive of the second half, but the Tigers finally found the scoreboard on their next series, cutting a 17-7 halftime deficit to seven. Nussmeier and Berry helped

construct an eight-play, 33-yard drive that put fifth-year senior kicker Damian Ramos in position to make a 39-yard kick.

The defense then forced its second turnover of the afternoon when sophomore cornerback PJ Woodland intercepted Chambliss to end a seven-play, 32-yard drive. Woodland returned the interception for 31 yards to set up another LSU field goal that cut the deficit to 17-13 The turnover was the Tigers’ seventh interception of the year, surpassing last year’s total of six.

“I believe in this team,” Kelly said. “I love this group.” The offense struggled through-

out the opening half, but it was the Tigers who took the first lead.

After Nussmeier found senior Zavion Thomas for a 50-yard completion, LSU found the end zone four plays later Nussmeier’s pass intended for sophomore tight end

Trey’Dez Green was deflected into the air and caught by redshirt junior wide receiver Nic Anderson with 9:10 left in the first quarter, handing the Tigers a 7-0 advantage after the extra point.

The offense stalled for the rest of the half. Nussmeier was intercepted by Wydett Williams at the Ole Miss 12-yard line. LSU then gained just 23 yards over its next 10 plays, three drives that all resulted in punts.

“We’ve been a really good thirddown team. We have to be better on third down. And that’s not just Garrett, we’ve got to get open,” Kelly said. “Our coaches (have) got to get our guys in a position where they can make some plays.”

The LSU defense was left to hold the line, and that’s what it did until the midway point of the second quarter, having surrendered only three points. But Ole Miss found the end zone on each of its last two drives of the first half, first constructing a five-play 70-yard drive on the back of four LSU penalties resulting in 49 free yards.

“You want your team to be aggressive, but we have to play with composure,” Kelly said. “That drive was so different than anything that they have shown this year, and that’s what makes it frustrating for them, too.”

The score handed Ole Miss a 10-7 lead with 5:09 left in the first half. The Rebels then increased their lead to 10 on their final drive of the half as Chambliss found wide receiver Cayden Lee to give Ole Miss the two-score lead with 13 seconds remaining.

“They had dudes making plays,” Weeks said. “I mean, it comes down to that. We were in a position to make a play, and they just made a play.” Email Koki Riley at Koki.Riley@theadvocate.com.

THREEAND OUT: SCOTTRABALAIS’

NUSS BUSRUNSROUGH

1

Garrett Nussmeierlooked healthyagainst SoutheasternLouisiana aweek ago, but on Saturdayhelooked likehewasn’t rightagain. Even his 50-yardpass to ZavionThomas that led to LSU’s first touchdown looked underthrown. And he reverted to forcing passesthatled to an interception deep in OleMiss territory, killing the Tigers’ momentum when theywereup7-3 and driving in the second quarter.The running game also did himnofavors untilitwas toolate.

2

SPEAKING OF THERUNNING GAME

Even with the absenceofstarting tailback Caden Durham (ankle), you figuredLSU wouldbeable to do something on theground against an OleMissdefense surrendering 190.5 yards per game rushing.The Tigers could not.LSU had just 31 yards rushing through three quarters and finishedwith 57 total.Offensive coordinator JoeSloan faces mounting criticism,but give himcredit fortryingeverything and everyone,includingreceivers such as ZavionThomas and Barion Brown.

3

FINALTHOUGHTS

Anywin or loss over the course of afootball season is abig deal, so we won’t sayLSU’s loss here Saturday wasnot huge. That said, one defeat doesn’t condemn the Tigers in their quest of reaching the CollegeFootball Playoff, thoughtheycan realistically afford only one more defeat. The problem is LSU’sproblems Nussmeier’shealth, the running game,the blocking —may not be going away anytimesoon. Time to regroup during a much-needed open date.

IMBALANCED ACT

LSUmissesgolden opportunityto get rushing attack rolling

BY REEDDARCEY Staff writer

If there were ever achance to improve the rushing offense, Saturday wasit. LSU was missing its leading rusher, but lesser teams had gashed OleMiss before. Kentucky.Arkansas. Tulane

Those three teamsall lost to the No. 13 Rebels, but they each ran foratleast 170 yards againsttheir defense, which entered aWeek 5clash with the No. 4 Tigers as, statistically,the worst group of run stoppers in theSEC.

Then they faced LSU, whichmustered only 57 yards on 22 carries in its 24-19 loss. Garrett Nussmeierstruggled to complete hispasses, but he didn’t get much help from his ground game, which is struggling mightily

“I think you start with the first half,” LSu coach Brian Kelly said,“where our inability to sustain anything on theoffensive side of the ball put our defense on the field for over 50 plays.”

Caden Durham sat out against Ole Miss with an ankleinjury.Then right tackle Weston Davissuffered an injury of his own during pre-game warm-ups, forcingthe Tigers to starttrue freshman Carius Curnein his place. Another injury on the offensive line —this one to starting left guard Paul Mubenga compounded the issues in the thirdquarter,but by then, Ole Miss already had figured out how to slowdownthe Tigers.

LSUentered halftime with only 24 yards on nine carries. It failed to convert all four of its third-down tries, and it ran half as many playsasOle Miss did, which allowedthe Rebels tobegin wearing down the LSU defense.

Five-starfreshman Harlem Berry provided aspark. Threeofhis seven carries picked up at least 5yards, including a6-yard touchdownrun that movedLSU withinone score of Ole Miss late in the fourthquarter.But LSU didn’tgive Berry his first handoff until the third quarter

Ju’Juan Johnson, the Tigers’No. 2 back, took only one carry in thefirst half. He finished with six runs for 18 yards Behind him, Junior Kaleb Jackson

RABALAIS

Continued from page1C

Tigers’ 24-19 defeat, exposing some very big problems with LSU andits $18 million roster

Let’slist those problems in orderofurgency:

1. LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier still looks hurt.

2. The offensive line can’t block well.

3. LSU cannot run well.

4. The receivers do apoor jobof getting open.

5. The defense couldn’tget off the field on third and fourthdown

To have all those problems plus injuries to key offensive cogs such as starting tailback Caden Durham (did not play, ankle) and AaronAnderson in the second half (Nussmeier’stop pair of hands) —it’salmost remark-

STAFFPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU running back Ju’Juan Johnson takes ahit from Ole Miss safetySageRyan, left, after picking up acouple of yardsinthe fourth quarter of their game on SaturdayatVaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss. Johnson finished withsix runs for18 yardsinLSU’s 24-19 loss.

pickedup10yardsonhis lonecarry Receivers Zavion Thomas and Barion Brown combined to pick up 16 yards on five handoffs. Their runs didn’tcatch the Rebels by surprise.

Overall,the LSUrunningbacks combinedtorush 20 times —and theypicked up only 50 totalyards. Nine of those runs gained 3orfewer yards,and five were stopped either at the line of scrimmage or behind it.

“At the end of the day,” Kelly said, “when you put it all together for four quarters, we didn’tplay complementary football, which you have to do in this league. Youhave to be able to complement youroffense and defense, andwe were out of sync with that.”

Last season, LSU rushed for 116 yards pergame,whichranked 107th in the

able that LSUwas one defensive stop away from having achance of pullingout avictory

But that didn’thappen. LSU

coach Brian Kelly summed up the loss by saying histeam did not playcomplementary football.

“When our offense started to move the ball, our defense couldn’t make astop,” Kellysaid. “We couldn’tget this whole group playing togetherwith the effectiveness you need to win agame like this.

“We’re not clicking on all cylinders right now.”

The least clicky of all is Nussmeier

Even when he completed a50yard pass to Zavion Thomas to setupLSU’sfirst touchdown, he badlyunderthrew the ball. Thomas just undercut hisdefender,made thecatch and took off. Later in the game, Nussmeierhad Chris Hilton 7yards behind acornerback andunderthrew aball that fell incomplete. Twice after the game, Kelly was

country andlast in the SEC. Thenfourof itsstarters on theoffensive line moved on to the NFL, forcing Kelly and his staff to improve their rushing attack behind a brand-new group of run blockers. They even created anew run-game coordinator positionand hiredFloridaState’sformer offensive play-caller tofill it. Things looked better in preseason camp. Durham broke off afew explosive runs in practices open to reporters. Kelly said in August he was pleased with thestructure of the rushing offense and howLSU was installingnew concepts His offense, he said, just needed to do abetterjob of handling thepressure it was facing from the interior

Then the gamesstarted, and opposing defenses prevented LSU from findingconsistent,efficientyardage on the

asked about Nussmeier’shealth and velocity throwing theball, and both times he dodged the question. Nussmeier just flatout refused to talk about it

Those are what we call in the news biz non-denial denials. Dodging and refusing to answer thingsdon’tchange what is obvious: Nussmeier can’tmake the throws we all know he’scapable of making. He either has some core injury that looked better against Southeastern Louisiana but really wasn’t, or he’sgot somethingwrong with his arm. Maybe next week’sopen date will allow him to get right for SouthCarolina on Oct. 11 in Tiger Stadium.Wewon’tknow the answer to that until we see him under fireagainst theGamecocks. We don’tneed another game to know LSU can’trun or run block. Yes, Durham was out and so was starting right tackle WestonDavis

ground. In theTigers’ first four games, they averaged 117 yards rushing —the exact same rate at whichthey ran the ball last season. This time, the average ranked 107thamong FBSteamsand second-to-last in the SEC.

“Whenyou’reupagainst it,” Kelly said, “you’re trying to carve it out. You’re trying to do the best you can. We clearly ran it better in the second half. We had 24 plays (in the first). The game is hard to call when it’sone-dimensional in that sense, right?

“So,I’ll watch the film, andI’ll do a deep dive on allofthose things,but it was hard to get the kind of balance you wantwith24total plays in the first half.” Thatimbalance took away achance forLSU to begin working toward asolution forits struggles on the ground.

But theTigers netted just 57 yards rushing against an Ole Miss team surrendering 190.5 per game. LSU should have been able to run Mardi Gras Mike at the Rebels (the float displayedatthe College World Series) and gained 125. A situation on LSU’slast scoring drive whenJu’Juan Johnson got stuffedinanolive jar trying to gain 1yard spoke volumes. Maybe this part of the LSU offense can improve in time, especially when Durham returns. But Ihave serious doubts. Watching Ole Miss players go up to high point pass after Chambliss pass cast aharsh spotlight on the LSU receiving corps. The receiversdon’tdoagood enough jobgettingopen. Whether that’s offensive coordinator Joe Sloan’s increasingly questioned scheme or the players, Ican only guess. But added to Nussmeier’stroubles, it’s abad way for an offense to fly

Istill think LSU has avery good defense. It was adefense Saturday that was on the field for 84 plays, allowing 480 yards, but it still did enough to help the Tigers win. It is still aunit LSU can lean on. One loss in the era of the 12team College Football Playoffis not atorpedo to ateam’shopes. That is the case forLSU today Istill think the Tigers are going to run the table at home, even with South Carolina and Texas A&M coming to Tiger Stadium But their remaining road games —atVanderbilt, Alabamaand Oklahoma—are all losable. If LSU can’twin at least twoof those remaining three —and by doing that fixing its mostpressing issues —the Tigers are getting nowhere near the CFP For what LSU has invested in this season, that would be adefeat farworse than what happened against Ole Miss.

SAINTS GAMEDAY

FOUR THINGS TO WATCH

The Saints are coming off an embarrassing 44-13 road loss to the Seattle Seahawks Everything that could go wrong did go wrong So the first thing Kellen Moore has to do is make sure his team has put that one in the rearview mirror The Saints can’t let what happened last week spill over. Highmark Stadium, much like Seattle’s Lumen Field, is a hostile environment. The Saints will have to block out the noise of the Bills Mafia, as well as the outside noise that followed last week’s loss The Saints need to show that the Week 3 performance was an outlier

SLOW POTENT OFFENSE

The Saints probably won’t face an offense as good as this one all season long There aren’t any quarterbacks in the league quite like Josh Allen, last season’s MVP He can hurt you with his arm and legs. His ability to extend plays when they break down is a defensive coordinator’s worst nightmare. His top targets are Opelousas native Keon Coleman and tight end Dalton Kincaid. If that’s not enough, the Bills boast the league’s top rushing game, averaging 163 yards on the ground. It’ll be a long day if the Saints defense can’t get off of the field.

WIN TURNOVER BATTLE

This one may be just as challenging as slowing down Allen. The Bills have won or tied in the turnover battle for 25 consecutive games, including the playoffs. They are 16-4 when they have won the turnover battle and 3-2 when it’s even. The problem is the Bills rarely turn the ball over (zero turnovers this season) The Saints, meanwhile, have turned it over just twice If they can somehow keep the turnover battle pretty even, they have a much better chance of pulling off what would be the NFL’s biggest upset so far this season

THE DETAILS

The Saints have won their last four trips

DOWN, NOT OUT

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

If Kellen Moore can take solace in anything from his team’s blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks last week, it is that he is not alone.

Moore, the New Orleans Saints rookie coach, directed a team that looked completely outclassed in its 4413 loss out west last week. After two straight competitive losses to open the season, the nature of the Seattle loss led to questions about Moore’s ability to prepare his team.

Afterward, there was one common refrain.

“It starts with me,” Moore said on multiple occasions.

Kind of like Dan Campbell back in 2021.

Campbell was in his first season coaching the Detroit Lions back then. When he took the job, he promised he would field a hard-nosed unit that would scrap and claw for 60 minutes on Sundays. That was mostly true while Detroit piled up seven losses to start the season, and then the Philadelphia Eagles came to town.

The Lions lost that game 446, scoring on seven consecutive drives at one point. The next day’s headlines called the performance embarrassing, and Campbell couldn’t disagree. According to the Detroit Free Press, the coach likened his team’s performance to the “Bad News Bears.”

“That’s on me, man,” Campbell said, according to the Free Press. “You don’t play that bad unless your head coach did not have you ready to go.” Campbell has since turned the Lions into one of the best teams in the NFL.

Moore won’t have to look far this Sunday to see another coach who has been in a similar situation. The last time the Saints traveled to Buffalo was in 2017, coach Sean McDermott’s first season there, and they trounced the Bills 47-10.

New Orleans outgained the Bills by nearly 300 yards that day, possessing the ball for more than 40 minutes. A column in the Democrat and Chronicle after that game used the words “putrid” and “abomination” and “deplorable” to describe the loss.

“I’ve got to coach better, we’ve got to play better, that’s the obvious,” McDermott said after the game. The next year, the Bills drafted a future MVP quarterback in Josh Allen, and they’re well on their way to their eighth consecutive winning season. Moore was on the opposing sideline for another example. Kevin O’Connell has built the Vikings into a regular contender, despite some consistent

turnover at the quarterback position. Minnesota went 13-4 in 2022, his first season as a head coach, but one of those losses sticks out.

The Dallas Cowboys went to Minnesota and handed them their worst home loss in franchise history. With Moore calling plays, Dallas scored on each of its first seven possessions and sacked Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins seven times in a 40-3 rout.

“Sometimes you can get hit in the mouth,” O’Connell said after that game, according to The Athletic.

Pick just about any successful NFL coach, and you can find an example of a terrible loss during his first season in the top job.

The Cowboys demolished Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers 40-10 in 2017, Shanahan’s first season there. John Harbaugh long has been considered one of the NFL’s best head coaches, rolling out a contender year after year but his 2008 Ravens looked hopeless against the In-

Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler lookstomakea passduring the first half of agameagainst theSeattle Seahawks on Sept.21inSeattle. TheSaints are 0-3 as theyprepare to face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Saints canbeatlong odds,but don’tbet on it

Sunday’s pointspreadisone of thelargest in franchisehistory

There are multiple waystojudge what the worldthinks of your football team.

One of them is the point spreadissuedby Las Vegas bookmakers

This week’sline for the Saints-Bills game is an eye-opener.The New Orleans Saints are151/2-point underdogs against theBuffalo Bills on Sunday.It’sone of the largest point spreads in the history of theSaintsfranchise andthe largest spread for an NFLgame this season.

It’sparticularly raretosee such alarge line this early in the season. The last time it happenedthisearly was twoyears ago. Mismatches usuallyoccur later inthe year, as injuries mount, motivation wanesand coaches arefired.

The Saints’ longodds are partly because of their opponent. The Bills, led by reigningMVP Josh Allen, are undefeated and considered one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl this season.

The long odds are also a nod to the Bills’ legendary fanbase. The passion of the Bills Mafia makesBuffalo nearly unbeatable at Highmark Stadium, where they have won 12 consecutive gamesdating to 2023. More than anything, it’sa reflection of the Saints and how far the teamhas fallen in recent years.

It’sbeen 40 years since the Saints played agame where they faced such long odds. In Week 4ofthe 1985 season, the Saints were 16-point underdogs against the San Francisco 49ers Forty years is along time. Saints coach Kellen Moore wasn’teven born in 1985.

of theworst teamsinthe league.

They’ve done little to disprove the doubters so far.They have not scored apoint in the first quarter all season and have led for acombinedfour minutesinthreegames. Theytrailedinlosses to the 49ers and Seahawks for essentially the entire game.

The Saints’ dispiriting 44-13 loss to Seattle was so one-sided that Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald took sympathy and began substituting backup players early in the fourth quarter

It was not that long ago that the Saints were the bullies at the NFLbeach. The Saints were two-touchdown favorites eight times in the decade-plus from 2009-20.

Jeff Duncan

Those Drew Brees-led juggernautsadministered historic blowouts of the Colts(62-7),Eagles (48-7),Bucs (40-0), Packers (51-29),Giants (49-24) and Patriots (38-17) along the way Now,the Saints are the ones getting sand kicked in their face.

We’ve missed three opportunities; that’s what’sbeen definedsofar in our season. …It’snot atime to panic or shift gears or completely shift the whole schedulearound. Thisisabout focus, details, getting better and puttingourselves in areally good position (to be successful).”

“We’ve got areallygood football team (in Buffalo) this Sunday,and we’re excited about the opportunity,” said Moore, the eternallyoptimistichead coach. “Obviously, there’salot of growth opportunitiesfor us.We’re excited to keep navigating andtokeep moving(forward).”

KELLENMOORE, Saints coach

To put into perspectivehow rare the 151/2-point line is, the Saints have faced odds this long or longer only 13 times previously in franchisehistory.And most of those came during the grim early years of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The Saints managed to overcome theodds andscore theupset twice. More often than not, the outcome is as the oddsmakers predicted.Inthe 38 gameswhere the Saints were two-touchdown underdogs, theymanaged to prevail only four times.

The massive point spread says alot about where the Saints are as afranchise. With a new head coach, anew quarterback and a roster filled with either aging or unproven players, the Saints are widelyviewed as one

“We’ve missed three opportunities; that’swhat’s been defined so far in our season,” Moore said. “… It’s not atime to panic or shift gears or completely shift thewhole schedule around. This is about focus, details, gettingbetter and putting ourselves in areally good position (to be successful).”

Upsets happen weekly in the NFL. Just last week, the 0-2 Browns upset the 2-0 Packers in Cleveland, and the winless Panthers throttledthe Falcons30-0 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Shocking outcomes happen often in aleague where parityrules and the business model is built to bolster the lower class.

Exhibit A: The aforementionedSaints-49ers game in 1985. The Saintsentered the game 1-2 and were on their way to their19th consecutive non-winning season. The 49ers were 2-1 and the reigning Super Bowl champions. They were coming off blowout wins over the Falconsand Raiders and were playing at home, where theyhad won 14 of their last 15 games. So what happened?

TheSaintssacked Joe Montana six times and held him to the worst statistical performanceofhis career in astunning 20-17 upset.

An upsetofthe Bills this weekend would be just as shocking and perhaps even more unlikely.But it helps to know the Saints have beaten long odds before.

Still, you might not want to betonit.

Email Jeff Duncan at jduncan@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PREDICTIONS

JEFF DUNCAN

BILLS33, SAINTS 16: Sandwiched betweena pair of contests against divisional rivals,Miami andNew England, this game likelywill come downtoBuffalo’s motivation.The Billsare more talented on both sides of theballand arealmostimpossible to beat at home,but theSaintsmight catchthemlooking aheadand keep it closefor awhile

LUKE JOHNSON

BILLS31, SAINTS 20: Even the most optimistic Saints fans might find ahardtimefeeling confident aboutthisone.While Idon’t think theSaintsare goingtowin the game,Idothink they’llbeonthe rightsideofthe huge bettingline that favors theBills by more than twotouchdowns this week

MATTHEWPARAS

BILLS34, SAINTS 16: TheBillshave scored at least30pointsinthree straightgames,and they reached that mark in 12 regular-season gamesdatingtolastyear. The Saints haven’teverscored30points with SpencerRattler at quarterback. Chancesare,New Orleanswon’t keep pace with ahigh-powered offense.

RODWALKER

BILLS37, SAINTS 17: SeeJosh run. SeeJoshthrow.The Saints will have ahardtimeslowing down Buffalo. TheSaintsare 151/2-point underdogs. TheBillsare well rested sincetheyhaven’t played in 10 games, andtheywillbelaserfocusedafter

STANDINGS, SCORES & SCHEDULE

and two firstround picks to Dallas in exchange for Parsons. Clark is a 2016 first-round pick who spent his first nine seasons in Green Bay. The Dallas defense has looked vulnerable without Parsons. The Cowboys are last in the NFL in pass defense, near the bottom in sacks and 27th in scoring defense

Vikings, Steelers play in Ireland

The Minnesota Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers will play the NFL’s first regular-season game in Ireland when the two teams meet at Croke Park in Dublin

The Steelers have deep ties to Ireland The Rooney family, which has owned the club since its inception more than 90 years ago, traces its roots to Newry in Northern Ireland Both teams come in with 2-1 records. Minnesota blew out Cincinnati last week thanks to an opportunistic defense and solid play by backup quarterback Carson Wentz. Pittsburgh held off New England last week but knows it needs to play better going forward

Undefeated Colts head west

The Indianapolis Colts will try to continue their undefeated start when they visit the Los Angeles Rams Behind 102 yards rushing and three touchdowns from running back Jonathan Taylor, the Colts improved to 3-0 with a 41-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans

The Rams squandered a 26-7 lead in a 33-26 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles, with Joshua Karty getting his potential game-winning field goal as time expired blocked and run back for a score Rams LB Jared Verse shook off a slow start by getting his first sack and two tackles for loss in addition to forcing a fumble last week

Commanders, Quinn visit Atlanta Former Falcons head coach Dan Quinn will return to Atlanta as the Washington head coach when the Commanders look to build on their 2-1 start on Sunday. Quinn’s Commanders had an overtime home win over the Falcons late last season Atlanta will be looking

Chiefs, Ravens aim to avoid 1-3

BY DAVE SKRETTA AP sports writer

the top seed in the playoffs. Two marquee quarterbacks. Two of the league’s premier coaches. And entering Sunday,

two teams that are 1-2 through the first three weeks of the season The Chiefs finally picked up their first win when they beat the Giants last week, after close losses to the Chargers in Brazil and the Eagles in a Super Bowl rematch The Ravens lost a nailbiter to the Bills in Week 1, rebounded to beat the Browns, then gave up 17 points in the fourth quarter of a 38-30 loss to the Lions on Monday night. “Nobody’s playing perfect football. It’s early in the season,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We’re playing some

good football teams That’s a good thing, because that forces you to be your best. You can’t worry too much about any kind of record or anything like that at this point. It’s a long season.” That’s easy to say now. Might be a whole lot tougher should the Ravens end Sunday at 1-3. Then again, the Chiefs are staring at the same fate. They haven’t lost three of their first four games in a decade, though in that case they bounced back from a 1-5 start in 2015 to run off 10 straight wins to finish the regular season.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes thinks that kind of turnaround has already started this season. Kansas City muddled through a pedestrian first half in New York last Sunday but hit its stride in the second half, ultimately pulling away for a 22-9 victory at the Meadowlands. “Obviously there’s things here and there we have to work on,” said Mahomes, who will have wide receiver Xavier Worthy back for the first time since Week 1, “but more than anything, the guys are putting in the work during the week.”

Broncos WR Mims put on injury report

A healthy week of practice for the Denver Broncos was marred Saturday when wide receiver Marvin Mims was added to the injury report with a hip ailment.

Mims was limited in practice and listed as questionable for the Broncos’ Monday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Denver coach Sean Payton didn’t mention anything during his post-practice availability about how Mims got hurt. He was participating in the early portion of practice Saturday

Jets QB Fields OK to start vs. Dolphins

Justin Fields went from trying to make plays on the football field to simply wanting to get through a day without headaches and squinting his eyes.

But the New York Jets quarterback was medically cleared to start against the Miami Dolphins on Monday night after missing a game because of a head injury Fields was injured when he was sacked in the fourth quarter against the Buffalo Bills in Week 2. He sat out against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week while dealing with dealing with concussion-related symptoms.

Ravens place two D-linemen on IR

Quarterback Brock Purdy is “highly unlikely” to start on Sunday for the San Francisco 49ers as he deals with a toe injury that already has sidelined him for one game.

Purdy was officially listed as questionable for the game against the Arizona Cardinals with a final decision on his status still to come.

Mac Jones would start his second game for San Francisco if Purdy isn’t ready Jones threw for 279 yards and three TDs in his first start last week

Browns

OUTDOORS

SLUbeats UTRGVin Southland opener

By The Associated Press

State roundup

HAMMOND Kyle Lowe and Carson Camp accounted for four touchdowns and Southeastern Louisiana beatUTRio Grande Valley 45-31 on Saturday night in the Southland Conference opener for both teams. Lowe and Campwere acombined 20-of-25 passing for 252 yards withthree touchdo wns Lowe added 92 yards rushing on nine carries and a38-yard touchdown run in the first quarter

Deantre Jackson had 121yards rushing and atouchdown on 13 carries for Southeastern Louisiana (3-2, 1-0). Jaylon Domingeaux had seven receptions for 107 yards. Kentrell Prejean and Adyn Wilkinson also had touchdown catchesfor the Lions.

Eddie Lee Marburger was 16of-29 passing for 218 yards and threw three touchdown passes and an interceptionfor UT Rio Grande Valley (4-1, 0-1). Camp’s26-yard touchdown pass to Domingeaux stretched theLions’ leadto28-7atthe break. The Vaqueros pulledto 28-17 early in the third quarter before Jackson broke loose on a66-yard touchdown run and Camp hit Prejean with a29-yard touchdown pass to makeit42-17 heading into the fourth.

EASTERN KENTUCKY 27, NICHOLLS

STATE7: In Richmond, Kentucky, KadenSmith returned an interception for atouchdown and the go-ahead score, highlighting Eastern Kentucky’s victory Nicholls (1-4) scored first,ona 60-yard pass from Deuce Hogan to Miequle Brock on thethird play of the game, butdidn’t scoreagain.

Eastern Kentucky didn’t allow adrive of more than 20 yards in the second half until thelast possession by Nicholls.Onthat drive, Nicholls reached the 3-yard line before an interception by Vito Tisdale stopped the threat.

Eastern Kentucky (2-3) tied it on a68-yard runbyBrady Hensley late in the second quarter and took a14-7lead on Smith’s 16-yardinterception return in the third quarter Myles Burkett threw an11yard touchdown pass to Dequan Stanley and Buzz Flabiano added two field goals for a27-7 lead in the fourth quarter Nicholls outgained Eastern Kentucky 330-314 in totalyards but was only 1for 11 on third down. Hensley ran for 148 yardsand BraydenLatham added 88 yards among EKU’s242 yardsonthe ground. Burkett was just7-for21 passing for 72 yards Hogan was 20-for-31passing for 213 yards with atouchdown and two interceptions forNicholls (1-4).

UL-MONROE28, ARKANSAS STATE 16: In Monroe, Aiden Armenta threw for 175 yards and two touchdowns in the Warhawks’ win. The win ends a15-game losingstreakfor theWarhawks(31, 1-0 Sun Belt) against the Red Wolves (1-4, 0-1) dating to 2009. Brandon Greil picked off Armenta on his third throw of the game for apick-sixfor Arkansas State to take the leadearly, extended its lead with a55-yard field goal, and did not score again until the third quarter Armenta found Julian Nixon on an eight-yardscore andJake Godfrey for a37-yard touchdown.

Youngman andthe sea

Strohmeyer,15, catchespossiblerecord tarpon

BY JOEMACALUSO

Contributing writer

Cruz Strohmeyer alreadyhas a leg up on Santiago, youremember,the old fisherman in Ernest Hemingway’sclassic “The Old Manand theSea.”

After 84 days without afish, Santiagobattled agiantblue marlin forthree days, afish so large he couldn’t get itinhis small boat. He strapped it alongside to return to port,but sharks partookofa massive feast and allSantiagohad to show for his effort wasahead and askeleton.

So what about Strohmeyer? He’s not old. He’sa15-year-old Holy Cross sophomore. And,this young angler didn’tface anear threemonth, fish-catching drought.He’s caughtfish this summer

“I’ve been (tarponfishing) a couple of times, but never caught one,” hesaid Not until last Sunday OK, so scratch that oneoff his piscatorial bucketlist. And, this was no ordinary tarpon.

Fishing with veteran tarpon guideLance “Coon” Schouest, Cruz Strohmeyer became theenvy of every tarpon fishermen across theGulfCoast.

“He pickedupaspinning rod with 6000 (big spinning) reel with 60-poundtest line, and on his third cast BAM!” Schouest said.

Strohmeyer:“Ifelt alittle hit and (I)started to reel.The tarpon’s first jump came about eight feet fromthe boat.I wasindisbelief.OnceI saw the fish, Iwas very excited. Iknewit was aonce-in-a-lifetime fish.”

Said Schouest: “Itwas big. Looked to be at least 200 pounds.”

Strohmeyer: “He jumped alot early,then got tired out.”

Schouest:“Thesecond jump I figureditwent220.”

Strohmeyer: “I was getting alittle tired, and the tarpon jumped again.”

Schouest:“Igot abetter look and knew it was around230.A big fish.”

Fromhook-up to landing took 2hours, 10 minutes.

Tree-stand safety big during archeryseason

BY JOE MACALUSO Contributingwriter

Six more of Louisiana’s10deer hunting areas open for the archery season Wednesday after four opened Sept. 19. Since most archery hunters hunt froma stand, tree-stand safety is amust if these folks want to run the season’scourse and not spend timeunder adoctor’s care —orworse. First, file aplan, something to letsomeone else know where you’rehunting, what timetoexpect areturn, the makeand color of your vehicle, your cellphone number andany otherdetails emergencyresponders might need to track you down.

If you haven’tchecked your stand in thepastyears, make sure you do before climbing aladder

If you use aclimbing stand, make sure all fittings are secure and the frame is capable of bearing your weight —and pick alive, straight tree, one capable of supporting you and thestand.

About 20 yearsago,full-body safety harnesses weremade for climbing to avoidfalls going up and down to and from astand, and avoid going toohigh in the tree.

The bow and the arrows need to be left on the ground. Attach alength of rope to your harness, the bowand thequiverthenpull them up after you’re situated in thestand.

Rememberthe “three” rule. Always have one hand or two feet, or two hands and one footonthe

NOTEBOOK

ladder at all times. Just be safe.

TheCommission

Thursday’s9:30 a.m. Wildlife and Fisheries Commission (state headquarters, 2000 Quail Drive Baton Rouge) will include the 2025 Black Bear Lottery,anupdate on this year’s recreational red snapper season and athe latest on the state’sproposal for state management of arecreational greater amberjack season.

Themeeting will be available via Zoom.

Amberjacksurprise

In the middle of last week federal fisheries managers decided to close therecreational amberjackseason effective at 12:01 a.m., Saturday,Sept. 27. Thesudden closure came after federal fisheries folks determined recreational landings hit 882,451 pounds, which is 478,451 pounds more than404,000 over the 2024/2025 catch limit. State Wildlife andFisheries decided to keep the season open through Oct. 31 in state waters out to nine nautical miles.

Snappercount

ThroughSept. 14,the LA Creel survey estimate for the private recreational red snapper catch totaled817,535 pounds or 91.4% of ourstate’s 894,955-poundannual allocation.

CALENDAR

“I knew it wasa once-in-a-lifetime fish.”

CRUZ STROHMEyER

Back at Cypress Cove Marina in Venice, thescale read 228.8 pounds and is acandidate for fifth place in the state’s top10fish record list (David Prevost holds the state record with a246.63-pounder.)

There was more:Schouest checked the International Game FishAssociation record book and found thejunior record (16-andyounger) is 222 pounds, 9ounces.

“Whenever you talk about the IGFA,it’salways pending because there are lotsofrules,” Schouest said. Itold his grandpa (Mike Strohmeyer) that we should know somethinginacouple of months.”

For grandpa,anavid tarpon chaser,itwas adowner only because he wasn’tonthe boat.Shouldersurgery,hesaid, meanttrips in open water were a“no-no” from his doctor,but that didn’tstop him from booking Schouest fora trip for Cruz and him next weekend.

“I’m looking forward toit,” Cruz said. “I’m still alittle sore.My arms are sore. It still hurts alittle, but I’mgoing back.”

So,how sore? So much so that when his prizedcatch went up on the scale last week, Cruz said he felt like jumping up and down, “but my body wouldn’tlet me. I was screaming. Iwas so happy andI’m lookingforwardtogoing out there to catch another fish.”

For the record, the massive tarpon hit an orange Coon Pop, abait Schouestdesignedand has made amust-have for tarponfishermen across the world.

And, the“out there?”

“We’re fishing on the east side of the(Mississippi) river,” Schouest said “That’swhere the fish have been showing up for the last five years, mostly because there’s bait(fish) over there and not many in places like off Grand Bayou where we fished for years.”

WEDNESDAY

JUNIOR SOUTHWEST BASSMASTERS MEETING: 7p.m., Seminar Room, BassPro Shops, Denham Springs. Boys &girls age-group bass tournaments for ages 7-10, 11-14 &15-18 anglers. Call Jim Breaux (225) 772-3026.

THURSDAY LA. WILDLIFE &FISHERIESCOMMISSION MEETING: 9:30 a.m., Joe Herring Room, state Wildlife and Fisheries headquarters, Quail Drive, Baton Rouge

SOUTH LOUISIANAGUN BASH: 5:30 p.m., LSU Mini Farm, Baton Rouge. National Deer Association event. Call Marty Maley (225) 3466781. Email: mkmaley@eatel.net

FRIDAY-SUNDAY

WARMWATER CATCH&EAT: Lakeview Lodge, LakeConcordia, Ferriday. RedStick FlyFishers event. Website: rsff.org

HUNTINGSEASONS

DOVES: NorthZone:through Sept. 28. South Zone closed.

TEAL/RAILS/GALLINULES: Through Sept. 28,statewide.

DEER/ARCHERY: Oct. 1-Jan.15, State Deer Areas 5, 6&9,bucks only.

DEER/ARCHERY: Oct. 1-Jan. 31, State Deer Areas 1, 2&4.Eithersex takeallowed.

RABBITS &SQUIRRELS: Oct. 4-Feb. 28, statewide, private landsonly

DEER/ARCHERY: Through Jan. 15, State Deer Areas 3, 7, 8&10. Eithersex takeallowed.

HUNTINGLOTTERIES

SEPT. 30—YOUTH WATERFOWL DEADLINE: Forages10-17 on Sherburne Wildlife ManagementArea. Fee$8.50.Application website: louisianaoutdoors.com/lotteryapplications. Email David Hayden: dhayden@wlf.la.gov

SEPT. 30—WATERFOWLDEADLINE: On White LakeWetlands Conservation Area (Vermilion Parish).2 youth hunts(ages 10-17, Nov. 8& Nov. 9),30marsh hunts&30rice field hunts. Application fee $8.50 &additional fees for marsh/rice field hunts. Application website: louisianaoutdoors.com/lotteryapplications. Call Lance Ardoin (337) 536-6061 or email: lardoin@ wlf.la.gov

AROUNDTHE CORNER OCT.8—BUGS &BEERS: 6:30 p.m.,

Skeeta Hawk Brewing, 455 N. Dorgenois Street, NewOrleans. Fly tying. Open to thepublic. Email A.J. Rosenbohm: ajrosenbohm@gmail. com. Website: neworleansflyfishers.com

FISHING/SHRIMPING

SHRIMP: Fall inshore&outside watersopen statewide.

OPEN RECREATIONAL SEASONS: Redsnapper,greater amberjack, gray triggerfish, flounder;lane, blackfin, queen and silk snappers &wenchmen among othersnapper species; all groupersexcept closed for goliath& Nassau groupersinstate/federal waters.

CLOSED SEASONS: Bluefin tuna; gag, goliath& Nassau groupersin state/federal waters. Commercial greater amberjack seasonclosed.

LDWF UPDATES

CLOSED: Hope Canal Road/boat launch (MaurepasSwamp WMA, leveeconstruction)

ROAD CLOSURE: Section of La. 975 through SherburneWMA closed through June 12, 2026 (bridge replacement) access from U.S. 190 and I-10 open. Drawdowns: Underway on Henderson Lake, Lake Bistineau, Saline, Kepler, Iatt, Black &Clear lakes,Clear-Smithport Lake &LakeMartin. Drawdown ended on Wham Brakeimpoundment. EMAIL: jmacaluso@theadvocate.com

Trustisn’t given.It’searned. Just like athletes on the field, our doctors earn it every day through commitment, precision and passion.Whether you’repushinglimits or recovering from them,you can trustthe team that understandsboth.

From championship athletes to everyday champions, Our Lady of the LakeHealth is wheretrusted carebegins.

Save thedate forKBON’s annual musicfestival

“Seeing

KBON has amusic format that gives corporate, cookiecutter radio programmers fits. It’scommon to hear the Eunice station, at 101.1FM on thedial, play country singer Marc Chestnutt, followed by Cajun accordion pioneer Aldus Roger,zydeco artist Sean Ardoin and soul legend Otis Redding.

Saturday mornings are all Cajun French, including music and weather reports. The Thursdaynight “Swamp & Roll” show has live, off-thecuffcommercialsfor restaurants, attorneys, aslaughterhouse and the “Turner Breakdown.” The breakdown, led by an accordion player and flat fixer nicknamed “TheHuman Jack,” is alively two-step in honor of Turner’sConoco, a local gas station.

KBON’s“Variety with a Louisiana flavor” soundtrack has made the station one of the most popular in the Lafayette market for 28 years.Doubters need only attend the annual KBON Music Festival, which routinely attractsmore than 8,000 listeners to the Frog Festival Pavilion in Rayne.

The 550, on-site camper spots sell out as soon as registration opens. Hotel rooms are scarce festivalweekend.

The party returns Oct. 3-5 with more than 20 Cajun, zydeco and swamp pop bands. Performers include Travis Matte and the Kingpins,with 87-year-old swamp pop pioneer Johnnie Allan, “Zydeco Boss” Keith Frank, Tommy Gand Stormy Weather and Grammy winner Steve Riley Tickets remain cheap —$5 for Friday or Sunday,$10 for Saturday.But that money is pure gold for nonprofits that receive 100% of the admission and beverage sales. Down Syndrome Association of Acadiana, which staffs the festival with volunteers, is the current benefactor.Past recipients include the American Cancer Society,Big Brothers Big Sisters of Acadiana and the Affiliated Blind of Louisiana KBON’sgood time for agood cause continues the legacy of the station’sfounder,Paul Marx. Anightclub owner and DJ, Marx dreamed of aradio station that played Louisiana music, with avariety of other genres, 24/7.

Most stations ignored local music, except ahandful that played the sounds on weekends or when Maw Maw and Paw Paw were on their second cupofcoffee before sunrise. Marx paid $40,000 to secure an FCCpermit for astation in the Mamou area. At least 10 times that amount was needed for a studio, equipment and tower

At the age of 50, Marx and his wife, Russell, sold their business, home and

AvaBrewster-Turner looks overascript while standing on the stageatUpStageTheatre,

seat theater she opened in 2003 at 1713

BLAZING THETRAIL

What’s thestory of N.O.’s lake seawall?

BY RACHEL MIPRO Contributing writer

The concrete seawallthat runs alongthe edge of LakePontchartrain, stretching from the Industrial CanaltoWest End, is afavorite spot forjoggers, cyclists, fishermen andfamilies. Gonzales resident Connie Thompson, whogrew up in Gentilly,said she had always been curious about the seawall’shistory.Thompson asked about the seawall’sconstruction and history,along with the scope of the wall: “I always wonder whythe seawall was built around Lake Pontchartrain only on the NewOrleans side? The year it was built? Wasittoput people to work?” The northshore has asimilar, although smaller,seawall. The Mandeville concrete seawall was built in the 1930s as a Works Progress Administration project. The story of the New Orleans seawall is abit of adeeper dive.

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

Ava Brewster-Turner has witnessed afew close calls from stage right over the years.

That’swhere shestands, outof sight from the 50-seat audience at 1713 Wooddale Blvd., home of UpStage Theatre. Turner opened it 23 years ago, not only as Baton Rouge’sfirst Black theater company but as “thesmall theaterwith abig heart.”

While the space is small, when thestage lights up, it doesn’t matter.Audiences suddenly find themselves in other people’sstories playing out in other places.

Sometimes thosemake-believe stories can be as unpredictable as real life.

PROVIDED PHOTO By UPSTAGETHEATRE

DorrianWilson, left, Oonarissa Brown-Bernard and Jarrod Mims Smith,standing,star in UpStage Theatre Company’s production of ‘IndigoBlues: ALoveSong.’ UpStage represented Louisiana with this playatthe national community theater competition.

In 2010, thecompany wasinvited to join actresses Loretta Devineand Taraji P. Henson in the Los Angeles Meet thewoman who’satthe helm of BatonRouge’s firstBlack theatercompany

“We’ve had acouple of malfunctions,” Turner said. “And it’sfunny that we’re talking about this, because Ioften share astory with my actors from atime Iwas visiting LosAngeles.

NewOrleans.

Kristi Trail, executive director of Pontchartrain Conservancy,reached back into the early days of European settlers and south Louisiana’salluvial flood plain to begin to describe the seawall’simportance.

Agrowing city looksoutward After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the city began expanding, looking forways to grow outward, Trail said. Back then, what is now the Lakeview,Gentilly and City Park neighborhoods wereall swamps. By the late 1800s, the Lakefront was in constant use forcommerce and recreation. Fishing camps wereset up with elevated walkwaysand structures, but had to maneuver around Lake Pontchartrain’stidal pattern. The Port Pontchartrain lighthouse, which still stands today, was floating out on the water, unconnected to land, Trail said. Mechanical engineer Albert Baldwin Wood, whose impact

Jazz Fest favorite’s life unfoldsina newbiography

Doc Watson constantly drew

loyalfans

BY BARBARA SIMS Contributing writer

“Doc Watson: ALife in Music” by Eddie Huffman, University of North CarolinaPress, 288pages

In 2009, when folk singer Doc Watson was the featured performer in the New OrleansJazz &Heritage Festival’sBlues Tent, he received astanding ovation before he began to play

According to The Advocate’s John Wirt, although Watson was 86 years old, he demonstrated “masterful flat picking and finger style” guitar playing, anda voice that was “strong and true.” Chris Rose, of The Times-Picayune, praised Watson for “glorious acoustic blues, flavored with touches ofbluegrass, gospel and old-time country.”

This audience enthusiasm came fromloyal fans Watson hadattracted in Louisiana during the six previous times he had performed at Jazz Fest, going back to 1977. For two of these years, he shared the bill with his sonMerle Watson, also an exceptional guitar and banjo player,and singer

Thewarm welcome in 2009 was poignant, as this was Watson’s last visit to New Orleans before his death in May 2012, at theage of 89.

Arthel “Doc” Watson’sstory is told in Eddie Huffman’s new biography,“Doc Watson: ALifein Music,” apart of the University of North Carolina Press’s series examining roots traditions in American music. Huffman’sdetailedbut very readable narrative explains the seeming paradox of how asinger/picker from theremotest hills and hollows of Appalachia could be known for singing the blues, as well as several other genresofmusic.

Born in 1923 in Deep Gap, North Carolina, Watson hadlittle sightasaninfant and within a year was totally blind. However, he did not lack the means for becoming musically literate from the earliest age; at 2, he would sit on his mother’slap in the Free Will Baptist Church, absorbing the congregationalsinging of rhythmicalhymns. When he was 5, his father gave him aharmonica and taught him the musical scale. Throughout his early life, he heard his father and uncles play folk songs on guitar,and he tookhis first tentative steps to be like them with aborrowed guitar about the same time. The radio brought him pop music; the train songs andother

blues ofJimmie Rodgers;country music, including the bluegrass of his nativeregion; and an even greatervariety from XERA and other powerhousestationsalong the Mexican border.Abig day camewhen Watson’sdad brought home aVictrola record player that camewith an assortment of 78 rpmrecords. At age 10, Watson entered school for the first time, enrolling in astate-sponsored school for theblind some 200 miles from Deep Gap. There, he was exposed to classical music as well as Dixielandjazz and blues. He also learned pianotuning before returninghome to stay at age 13. He practiced playing these types ofmusic, as well as those he had learned before, on aguitar andbanjo his family had given him.

Upon Watson’sreturn to Deep Gap,hebegan performing for changeonthe streets of nearby Boone, North Carolina. Soon he was playingwith asmall bluegrass band for VFW dances and events of all kinds.

Folklorists had long been interested in authentic mountain

music, but it was in 1959 that RalphRinzler of the Smithsonian made atrip to North Carolina that was fateful for Watson. Rinzler recorded for theFolkways label several albums with the band of Charles Ashley,for which Watson was the guitarist and sometime banjoist

Atrip to New York introduced thegroup to Joan Baez and other emerging stars of thefolk scene that was burgeoning in Greenwich Village. Then followed a tourofthe Midwest. Thereafter, his career and life moved fast Soon, he was touring and recording as asingle act at the many folk festivals from coast to coast, as well as joining other types of touring shows and booking solo engagements. By thelate 1960s, he had emerged as one of the top personalities of the folk movement. At thesame time, Watson and his wife, RosaLee Watson, had been rearing their son, Merle, named for bluegrass great Merle Travis. During themid-’70s, Merle Watson began touring withhis father,serving as driver,companion and performer.During those

10 years, Doc Watson estimated his son had driven 4million miles, doing as manyas178 showsone year Merle Watson was reticent as aperformer,preferring to be at homeinNorth Carolina, living a farmer’slife. Also, he believed that if he had remained in one place, his marriage might not have ended in divorce. He also found that any new relationship ended prematurely in part because he was never around. Unfortunately,Merle Watson developed aserious cocaine addiction and began acting erratically.When at home, he rode around on his tractor at all hours and neglected to install the usual safetyfeature that tractors need to protect thedriver.Several times he ran off the road and turned over the tractor.OnOct. 23, 1985, he rolled the tractor one time too manyand wascrushed underneath the heavy machinery He was 36 years old.

Doc Watson wasinconsolable and gave up performing until financial reality dictated that he adopt areduced schedule of appearances. Anew driver and

companion, his grandson Richard Watson, accompanied him Despite the strong objections of his father,Richard Watson had taken up the guitar and wasable to perform with his grandfather in someofthe shows. Richard Watson gained anew purpose when, in collaboration with friends and fans of his father,helaunched amemorial music festival, MerleFest, in his honor.Since 1988, the festival has been held in April each year in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. In his career,Doc Watson was awarded seven Grammy Awards and the Grammy LifetimeAchievement Award, among other honors. Through it all, his wife wasan unfailing source of love and support. It is hard to imagine Doc Watson’sunlikely and remarkable achievement without astable place to go hometofor renewal and strength. Despite the dramatic tragedies and triumphs of DocWatson’s life, Huffmanavoids sentimentality,judgments or interpretation. But he leaves the reader with much to ponder

Avid reader hasrecordedher literary journeysince 2005

Earlier thisyear,when The New York Times featured aman who had recorded every book he’d readover many years,I thought about my friend Linda Lightfoot, who’skept asimilar list for two decades.

The Times’ story about DanPelzer,aresident of Columbus, Ohio, whodied in July at 92, gotlotsof attention. Pelzer had kept alist of his reading since 1962,logging 3,599titles before his eyesight gave out two years ago. Pelzer’s familyhas created awebsiteto share hislist at what-dan-read com. Lightfoot, aretired newspaper editor andmyformer boss, started her list in 2005.

“That was aperiod of time when Idiscovered books on tape,”she recalled. “I was fascinated by

this newability to listen to books while doing laundry,puttingon makeup or cooking.”

Whether shewas listening to a bookorreadinga printed copy, Lightfoot decideditmight be wise to keeparecord:“It occurred to me that Iwas reading alot of booksand listening to alot of books Ididn’twant to startreading again.”

Lightfoot,anavid reader since childhood,had more time for

books after she retired as executiveeditor of The Baton Rouge Advocatein2007. She loves detectivefiction and history, especially Louisiana history

“The mostimportant thingtomeinfiction is good dialogue,”she told me.

Amongher favorite novelists are John Grisham and Michael Connelly

“I learned alot about horses that Ididn’tknow about from him,” she said.

“I enjoy detective fiction from other countries,” she added. “I like the South African author Deon Meyer,Icelandic authors and Britishauthors.”

Lightfoot was an early fan of thelate Britishmystery writer Dick Francis, whose books drew on equestrian themes.

Local history is an abiding passion forLightfoot.

“I’m almost obsessed with the history of New Orleans,” she mentioned.

Among her choice volumes on Louisianahistory are “Peapatch Politics,” William J. Dodd’saccount of the Earl Long era, and “Kingfish,” Richard D. White’sbiography of Huey Long. Lightfoot logs her reading list on her computer so she can easily search titles andremind herself, for example, what she’salready read aboutStonewall Jackson. Alongwith her computer file, she also lists books in three printed notebooks: onefor fiction, one for

TRADEPAPERBACK

nonfiction and one forher monthly tallies.

“I prefer to look at it on paper,” she said of her reading journal. Lightfoot, 84, shies away from discussing how manybooks she’s recorded on her reading list since 2005.

She worries that it might be misread as aboast, reducing her reading to acompetition.

Other readers have found that tracking what they read over time teaches them something. Has Lightfoot learned anything from her exercise?

“I think the thing that strikes me,” she said, “is that even though I’mold, Istill like to learn.”

Email Danny Heitman at danny@ dannyheitman.com

Mr. and

Miss

Krewe of Apollo-Baton Rouge

The new Mr and Miss ApolloBaton Rouge 2026 are Casey Hebert (Mr Razr) and Luke Lirette (Champagne Pop).

The two were selected during the Mystic Krewe of Apollo-Baton Rouge’s pageant at Splash Nightclub on Sept. 14. Nicole Dubois was emcee, and the afternoon included performances by former title holders

The krewe’s Mardi Gras ball is set for Jan. 24 at the Raising Cane’s River Center Ballroom. Tickets are on sale at apollobatonrouge.com

Baton Rouge DAR

celebrates Constitution

The Baton Rouge Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution celebrated Constitution Week during its first meeting of the new fiscal year on Sept. 15. Constitution Week runs each year from Sept. 17-23.

Attorney General Liz Murrill, introduced by Carrie Fager Andrepont gave an informative presentation about the Bill of Rights with particular emphasis on the First Amendment addressing free speech.

In addition, Chapter Librarian Debra Cowart announced the placement of an exhibit about the Constitution at the Bluebonnet Branch Library Chapter members received the new membership yearbook prepared by First Vice Regent Nedra Hains Members were updated about upcoming events, including the chapter’s 100th birthday celebration in January 2026, the SAR celebration of the Battle of Baton Rouge on Sept. 27, an American Revolution Patriot grave marker dedication on Oct. 18, and numerous social gatherings including those for the Baton Rouge Symphony, the LSU Textile & Costume Museum and LSU College of Music and Dramatic Arts dramas.

Alice Wynn Welch Fresina, regent, called the meeting to order and opening and closing prayers were led by Chaplain Judy Burch

Baton Rouge DAR

Attorney General Liz Murrill gave a presentation on the Bill of Rights to members of Baton Rouge DAR at their first meeting of the new fiscal year on Sept. 15. Shown are, from left, Murrill, Regent Alice Wynn Welch Fresina and Second Vice Regent Carrie Fager Andrepont.

COMMUNITY GUIDELINES

The West Side Women’s Club discussed plans for the upcoming year at its first meeting of the 2025-26 year at the Port Allen Community Center on Sept. 18 Shown are, from left, Jo Ann Busse, Laurie Roche, Philipa Blair and Lorry Trotter Not pictured are Jayne Blackwell and Elisa Tubbs.

The Community column runs Sundays in the Living section and accepts submissions for news of events that have taken place with civic, philanthropic, social and religious auxiliary organizations, as well as academic honors

Submissions should be sent by noon Monday to run in the upcoming Sunday column. If submitting digitally, we prefer JPG files 300KB or larger. Identify those pictured by first and last names as viewed from left to right, row by row We prefer emailed Community column submissions to features@theadvocate.com.We also accept submissions by mail at P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge LA 70821.A phone number must be included.

Members of the North Baton Rouge Good Ole Boys attended a luncheon on Sept. 18 at Rudy’s Seafood & Steakhouse in Watson. Gathered are, from left, seated, Gary Rispone, Ronnie Depew Harold Fisher Haskell Douglas, Wayne Price, Kell Edwards, Tony Magee, JF Accardo, Floyd Kimble, Winston Vass, Sammy Rispone, Donnie Dickerson and Dickie Cox; standing, Rudy Robinson, Gene Hernandez, Ron Stewart, Lester Mayer, Davis Rayborn, Doug Daigle, Barry Langlois, Ronnie McKinney, Gerald Humphrey, Jimmy Edwards, Mike McHorter and Tommy Arceneaux. Attendees not in the picture are Buddy Wicker, Donnie Cotten, Johnny Braud, Larry Nichols, Earl Phillips, Albert Langlois, Pacho, Allie McClure, Paul Fisher, Eddie Schaefer and Mitch Smith.

TRAVEL

Splurgeon anauticalgetaway at theTchefuncteRiver

Book this yachtand explorethe lake and life past thedock

BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer

Those who choose to live on a boat have aunique view of society,nature and life. It’salife of freedom and nature but also preparation and resourcefulness.

While full-timeboat living may not be for everyone, for aweekend, anyone can have that experience courtesy of ashort-term yacht rental located in Marina del Ray in Madisonville Since 1984, Marina delRay has serviced recreational and commercial boaters. Thelargest marina in Louisiana, Marina del Ray is the only marina below the Madisonville Bridge,soLake Pontchartrain is aquick ride downriver from the boatlaunch for those looking for open waters. The marina provides boat slips, floating docks, showers,bathrooms, laundry facilitiesand a boat launch.

To stay on the Tchefuncte River for the night, driving a boat isn’tnecessary.Guests simply board, unpack and lounge on The Decatur,aJefferson 42-foot Sundeck motor yacht, ashortterm rental with Beyond the Stay Vacation Rentals for under $300 per night.

The Decatur,built in 1987, is a renovated yacht and offers luxury dockside stays at the marina. The yacht includes astateroom with aqueen-size bed, flat-screen TV and en-suite bathroom that is small but serviceable.

The second bedroom has twin bunk beds and afull bathroom. The galley is fully equipped with athree-burner stove,oven, microwaveand refrigerator.The dinette offerscomfortablebooth seating for four.The living room has atwo-person loveseat and flat-screen TV.The back deck has covered seating, while thebow of theboat is the perfectspot to sunbathe, watch sunsets, wave at other boaters or gazeatstars

The Decatur is anchored in the marina’snewest dock. It features concrete walkways and is ranked in top 10% of rentals on Airbnb. It is roomy and comfortable withlotsofwood paneling andaclassy,retro feel. Instruc-

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

tionsfor the best stay are clear, and even though there are steps

Rentals will also have two more yachts available forshort-term rentalbythe endofOctober —another42-foot Jefferson Sundeck built in 1987 calledThe Dauphine anda 40-foot Chris Craft built in 1976 called The Esplanade Great food anddrinks are within walking distancedown the dock at The Wakehouse, a restaurant situatedonthe edge of the marina with indoor and outdoor seating. Perfect for lunch, snacks, happy hour or dinner, The Wakehouse hasa variety of choices thatrange from upscalebar food to fried seafood to house-made dressings to unforgettable burgers.

The marina barand grill is open from 11 a.m. to 9p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, andfrom11a.m.tomidnight on Fridays and Saturdays. If leaving the boat and the marina is on the agenda, Madisonville is acharming town with moss-laden oak trees and quaint Southern architecture on the river.Restaurants, shops and even a maritime museum are all found on andaround Main Street.

The Wooden Boat Festival, open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6p.m.onOct.18-19,isMadisonville’s main attraction in the fall. In 2025, the festival will celebrate 34 yearsonthe banks of the beautiful Tchefuncte River in Madisonville. The two-daycelebration, presentedbyMaritime Museum Louisiana,isa family festival anddraws more than100 classic boats, hundreds of spectator boatsand wooden boats and music enthusiasts.

Forotherbreakfast, brunch, lunch, coffee or early dinner options, there is the picturesque Abita Roasting Co. at 504 Water St. It’sclose by,just over the Tchefuncte RiverLa. 22 bridge. The coffee shopand cafeoffers a comprehensive menu of morning andafternoon fare from shrimp andgrits to chickenand waffles to giant pancakes to sandwiches andtacos.EnjoyAbita Roasting Co.’slovelyoutdoor dining area, acozyinteriorand delicious food from 7a.m.to8 p.m. sevendays aweek

throughout the boat, they are well-lit with handrails. Beyond the StayVacation

Email Joy Holdenatjoy.holden@ theadvocate.com.

Airlinerefuses to give full refundafter strike threatenstrip

Ipaid $7,155 for abusiness-class ticket from Hartford, Connecticut, to Dublin on Aer Lingus.When apilot strikethreatenedmy trip, theairlineemailed me three options, including afull refund, which I selected.

Christopher Elliott

Aer Lingus refunded me $6,096 but withheld $1,058, claiming business-class tickets only qualify for an85% refund. I filed multiple claims, called repeatedly,and evensent aregistered letter to the CEO.Noone responded. Howcan Iget back my money? Martha Rhine,West Hartford, Conn.

Aer Lingus owes you thefull refund it promised.Period. Under EU Regulation 261, passengers areentitledtoafull refund if their flight is canceled because of astrike. Airlines can’timpose arbitraryrefund caps based on fare class inthatsituation. Aer Lingus’s85% policy appears to violate EU 261. Worse, theairline ignored your documentedrequests for months, and that’sablatant violation of consumer trust.

Aer Lingusshouldhave processed yourrefundpromptly after you asked forit. Its customer

service department should have stated itspolicies up front and escalated your case when you had aproblem.And, of course, theCEO’soffice should have acknowledged your letter when you wrote, rather than stonewalling.

Maybe Aer Lingus got confused when refunding your ticket. It thought you had requested a refund of theticket for reasons other than the strike, and the rules for your business-class tickets only entitled you to an 85% refund. Youdid everything right: You saved correspondence, pursued

multiple channels, and contacted executives. But when companies dig in, persistence alone isn’t enough. That’swhen involving an advocate or regulators like the U.S. Department of Transportation or the Irish Aviation Authority becomes critical. Filing acomplaint with oneorboth of these agencies might have been enough to light afire under Aer Lingus to give you what it promised.

By theway,you don’thave to send theCEO aletter next time. Youcan start at the beginning of theexecutive chain, which might result in afaster response. Ipub-

lish the emails of all the Aer Lingus executives on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org.

Icontacted Aer Lingus on your behalf

“Aer Lingus sincerely apologizes forthe delay in processing this customer’sfull refund,” a representative responded. “The outstanding amount has now been processed as amatter of priority.”

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy,anonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@elliott.org.

By The Associated Press

Today is Sunday,Sept. 28, the271st dayof2025. There are 94 daysleft in the year

Todayinhistory:

On Sept. 28, 1928, Scottishmedical researcher Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, the first broadly effective antibiotic.

Also on this date:

In 1781, American forces in the Revolutionary War, backed by aFrench fleet, began their successfulsiege of Yorktown, Virginia.

In 1924, three U.S. Army planes landed in Seattle, completing the first round-the-world trip by air in 175 days.

In 1941, TedWilliams became the most recent AmericanLeague baseball player to hit over .400for aseason, batting .406for the BostonRed Sox.

In 1962, afederal appeals court found Mississippi Gov.Ross Barnett in civil contempt for blockingthe admission of James Meredith, aBlack student, to the University of Mississippi.

In 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO chairman Yasser Arafat signed an accord at the White House calling for an end to Israel’smilitary occupation of West Bank cities and expanding the responsibilities of the Palestinian Authority

In 2016, Hurricane Matthew forms near the Windward Islands and goes on to kill more than 1,000 people in Haiti, elsewhere in theCaribbean and the southeastern U.S.

In 2000, capping a12-year battle, the U.S. government approved useofthe abortion pill RU-486.

In 2020, the worldwide death toll from the coronavirus pandemic reached 1million, accordingtoacount by Johns Hopkins University

In 2022, Category 4Hurricane Ian barreled ashore in southwestern Florida and then bisected the center of the state, causing morethan 100 fatalities and billions of dollars in damage.

Today’sbirthdays: Actor Brigitte Bardot is 91. Filmmaker John Sayles is 75. Football Hall of Famer Steve Largent is 71. Zydeco musician C.J. Chenier is 68.HockeyHall of FamerGrantFuhr is 63. Actor-comedian Janeane Garofalo is 61. Actor Maria Canals-Barrera is 59. Actor Mira Sorvino is 58. Actor Naomi Watts is 57. Olympic gold medal swimmer Lenny Krayzelburg is 50. Rapper Jeezyis48. Golf Hall of Famer Se Ri Pak is 48. Pop-rockmusicianSt. Vincent is 43.Actor Hilary Duff is 38. Boxer Terence “Bud” Crawford is 38. Tennis player Marin Cilicis37. Actor Keir Gilchrist is 33.

Friend always flakes outatthe last minute

Dear Miss Manners: Ihave alongtime friend who has ahabit of waiting until thelast minute to confirm plansoreven make them.

Judith

20 years,there might really be something wrong here.

Martin MISS MANNERS

One Sunday morning, she asked me if I would like to come over and go for awalk sometimethat week and thenstay for dinner.Isaid, “Does Wednesday workfor you? It looks like the weather will be OK thatday.”

On Tuesdaynight at 8:30, she responded, “Wecan’tgotomorrownow becauseI’ve been called about getting aCTscan done for my implant.”

She has beendoing this for at least20 years. HowdoIkindly tell her that what she is doing is notrespectful without getting hermad?

Gentle reader: If she hasbeen getting scansonher implant for

But if what you meant is that she hasbeen coming up with 20 years’worth of emergency excuses,Miss Manners suggests you say,with aworriedtone, “I have to tell you: Iamafraid to make plans with you. Every time we do, something perilous comes up. Idonot wishtoput you in any danger!”

As for making thoseannoying last-minuteplans? Consider thatperhaps she is familiar with her own proclivitytocancel and actually wants to hold herself accountable. It does not mean you have to like it,but if you want to seeher,itmight be theonly way

Dear Miss Manners: Arelative of mine died suddenly in her apartment.She lived alone, and sadly it was several days before she was found, along with her dog (who is doing fine)

The person who discovered her body was asecurity guard in her building; he had awarm but professionally distanced

relationship with my relative and her dog. He’s been very kind and helpful through the postdeath process of managing my relative’sapartment, and Iget the sense that the experience of finding her in the apartment was difficult for him.

My family intends to send the security guard aheartfelt card thanking him for all he’sdone and for being akind and frequent presence in my relative’s life. But Iwonder if something moresubstantial is warranted —agift card, check or donation to afavorite cause in his name, perhaps (though Idon’tknow him well enough to speculate what afavorite cause might be). Is there etiquette for this?

Gentle reader: Etiquette for what you should send the person who discovers your deceased relative?No. Any sort of monetary present will feel inadequate. Miss Manners encourages you instead to put the energy into that letter, thanking the gentleman pro-

—J.D.W in St. Louis

fusely for attending to such a monumental and potentially harrowing situation with so much grace. Although, now that she thinks of it, agood bottle of wine might not be remiss.

DearMiss Manners:Iamjust back from what was supposed to be my dream trip to Italy and Spain. Iwon’tsay it was atotal nightmare, but Iwas treated rudely by locals who were protesting tourism. There were shouts and even anear miss froma water pistol. We all know that these places’ economies are based on tourism.And frankly,they couldn’task for abetter visitor: Ihad studied up on their history and art, and learned enough Italian and Spanish phrases to speak to the locals in their own language. How did they even identify me as atourist?

Gentle reader: Howwere you dressed?

Sendquestions to dearmissmanners@gmail.com.

Dear Heloise: Iamwriting in response to Susan H.,who said hat she would love it if manufacturersput the color navy or black on clothing tags. She can do this herself. Just take afine-point permanent marker and put an “N” or a“B” on theclothing tag Or she canbuy small blue and black safetypins to attach to the tag. She couldalso use blue and black clothes hangers. She can do something similar withshoes by using apermanent marker or placing something inside the shoe. Just take it out when you wear it, thenput it back in, or place it inside when you take them off. Or put theminashoe rack andlabel the pocket or shelf. —Shelly L., in Ohio

Late hospital bills

Dear Heloise: Iwanted to write in regarding therecent question

about hospital bills that werereceived twoyearsafter thehospitalization. Yes, thehospital must provide an itemized bill upon request and should have done so.Ifcontacting the hospital administrator provides no relief, the reader should contact her state’s attorney general and the Division of Healthand Human Services withher complaints She should also tellthe hospital administrator that she will do so if she doesn’tpromptly receive an itemized bill. It’s always best to give an actual datefor a deadline, like one business week to receive theseitemizedbills. Then she mustreconcile these itemized bills withher explanationofbenefits from her insurance company to know what she really owes The hospital may have an ombudsman who can help her with all of this. If not,once she has all the paperwork in hand, she may askfor assistanceather church or asenior center withsomeone who knows their way around all

this paperwork.

Spilled water

Dear Heloise: Ilook for your column regularly in The Times-Picayune in NewOrleans. My hint is about opening bottled water, specifically the individual ones in plastic. Today the individual 17-ounce bottlesofwater seem to be packaged in thinner and thinner plastic. When opening one, we usually grasp the bottle around its middle with one hand; thenwhile unscrewing the top withour other hand, our impulse is to squeeze the bottle, resulting in spilled water However,ifyou hold the base of the bottled water in alightly cupped hand, then unscrew the topwiththe other hand, it usually results in no spillage. —Pam C., in Covington, Louisiana Pam, thanks for writing in, but abetter waynot to deal with this problem in the first place is to avoid using plastic bottles. There aremany trendy water containersavailable nowadays that

won’tharm our planet as much as plastic. —Heloise

When making lasagna

Dear Heloise: My husband is actually the chef in the family.Ionly make two meals: lasagna and chili. My boys always loved my lasagna, and whenthey moved away to college and were in an off-campus house, Iwould make the usual lasagna batch and put it into meatloaf tins. The non-precook gluten-free ones were actually the perfect size for each layer.Since Ididn’t have to cook them,itreally decreased the prep time. Imade sure that the top layer was wellcoated with the sauce. Icould make 4-5 meatloaf pans, cover them with foil, then put them in afreezer bag, and freeze them. They were the perfect size for growing boys without them having to keep eating afull lasagna for an entire week! —Annette G., via email Email heloise@heloise.com.

CURIOUS

Continued from page1D

on New Orleans drainage cannot be overstated, opened up new possibilities with his screw pump invention, patent filed in 1913. The screw pump could pump massive amounts of water,allowing for quick drainage of swampland —although this mass draining wouldeventually cause subsidence issues

In the 1920s, the Orleans Levee Board beganahuge project of reclaiming land from the lake. The lakefront development used clam shells from the lake to mix with sediment dredgedfrom the lake bottom for this newland. In 1930, the Orleans Levee Board started what would be about a21/2-year project to build an 8-foot-high concrete seawall,according to the Lakefront Management Authority.The seawallwas set into place to halt shorelineerosion and offer flood protection for the newly created area.

“The mud they are pumping in from the lake to fillinall that area, from Allen Toussaint to the seawall, it’sjust mud,and it’s so soft to build on,” Trail said.

“So this is when the clamshell dredging began in the lake.”

Those clams were takenout of thelake to mix in with thosesoft soils in the neighborhoods, Trail said. “Those neighborhoods are all builtonreclaimed land, as a result of the sea wall goingin, which allowed those neighborhoods to be built,” shesaid Dredging lake environment

The project indirectly led to Trail’scurrent job —large-scale clam dredging led to massive environmental lake degradation. In the wake of this degradation, environmental advocacy groups popped up to defend the lake, one of which became the Pontchartrain Conservancy

Since clamshell dredgingwas banned in 1990, the lake has started to bounce back. As for the Lake Pontchartrain Seawall, it remains in place, battered but still gamely holding up against the wavesofthe lake.

“It’ssolid concrete installation techniques. …I would bet it’s probably sunk apretty good bit over time, but Idon’thave the data on that,” Trail said. “We’re out there every day,wesee it. It’s still there. It’sstilldoing itsjob.”

Do you have aquestion about something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phone number and the city where you live.

FESTIVAL

Continued from page1D

possessions to go on the air with“Louisiana Proud K-BON.” Sleepless nights on acot and 20hour work days followed

But Marx persevered with stationprofits that brought semi-retirement before he died in 2019. Today,KBON stands as an open door for Louisiana musicians and fans.Its annual festival is avalued friendof nonprofits.

Herman Fuselier is executive directorofthe St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. A longtime journalist covering Louisiana music and culture, he lives in Opelousas. His “Zydeco Stomp” show airs at noon Saturdays on KRVS 88.7 FM.

Olderfriendshangout whilereaderworks

Dear Harriette: Irecently have become friendswith agroup of older women. We get along great andhavehad some wonderful conversationsand enjoyable times hangingout together.The thingis, they have way more time on their handsthan Ido. They are either fully retired or semiretired. They have no problemspending a leisurely afternoon having lunch and talking theday away.Iwas able to do that alittle bitthissummer, but Iwork and have deadlines and responsibilities. Iamfinding it difficulttomake time to stay connected theway that they do. I don’twantthem to feel like Iam ignoringthem,but Icannot carve outhours andhours every week on weekdaystohang. Howcan I getthispoint across withoutmaking them feel bad or stop inviting

me to spend time with them? —Different Clock

best to honor that monthly commitment.

Harriette Cole SENSE AND SENSITIVITy

Dear Different Clock: First, it’s wonderful that you have friends acrossgenerations.Idomy best to keep people who are younger and older than me in my closeorbit.Itmakes life moreinteresting and keeps me tapped into what’sgoing on around me. That said, I, too, work—a lot —and have had asimilar experience. What you can do is manage expectations. Be honest about your schedule. Explain that you cannot steal away on a weekday for aleisurely lunch. Youhave more time on the weekends, but even that is spotty.If you really want tocultivate this bond, suggest that you get together once amonth. That may be manageable for you, even if they gather morefrequently.Doyour

Dear Harriette: Iama woman of a certain age —beyond 50 —and I met aman recently whoinvited me on adate. We had agreat time, andweboth decided we would like to see each other again. I was telling one of my girlfriends about him, and it turns out they used to date. She had only nice thingstosay about him,but it felt weird. Ilike my private lifeto stay private. Idon’tknow if Ilike that apotential new love interest of mine wasonce my friend’s love interest. What if we decide to date? Then we would all be hanging out together? I’mnot sure how Iwould handle that. Do you thinkIshould say something to him about thesituation before it has achance to get serious? —Past Connections Dear Past Connections: The chances thatyou could meet someone

who hasdated afriend of yours increases as your life blossoms. That shouldn’tseem weird. It’s probably more natural than anything. Don’twalk away from him because of that. Instead, tell him that this womanisyour friend. Ask him if he is comfortable with continuing to get to know you considering that connection. Youmay want to agree not to talk about details of your budding relationship with her, given their past. Honestly,it’sbest to grow your bond privately anyway.Friends have a way of meddling, even whenit’s unintentional. If you twohit it off well enough, do welcomehim into the fold and see how everybody gets along.

Sendquestions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com or c/o AndrewsMcMeel Syndication 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

UpStageTheatre Director AvaBrewster-Turner,left, and Gerald

August Wilson’s‘Radio Golf.’

TRAILBLAZER

Continued from page 1D

stage production of “A Tribute to Ruby Dee” in front of an audience that included the legendary actress. While there,Turner attended aplaybyalocal theater company andnoticed aglaringmistake that could have resulted in disaster

“The scene was in achurch, and Ithink theladyhad acrush on the pastor,”Turner said. “She was talking to the pastor,and she had some wine. The scene was in the church’s littlecafeteria, and she turned to get some glasses from the cabinet.”

Butthere were no glasses.

“So, she openedthe wine, and they just passed thebottle to one another,” Turner said.“It was agreat recovery.Theyjust playeditoff and kept going.”

When actors in her own company later found themselves with onlyone cupina coffeescene, theysimply passed the cup aroundduring the dialogue.

“That’swhen Iknew they were listening to me,” Turner said. “They were listening to the things Itold them. We laughed about it, but they were really listening, andthat meant somuch to me.”

Passing theater knowledge to her actors hasalways been the mostimportant part of the process for Turner.And when they apply that knowledge to theircraft, they become better actors. Or directors. Or playwrights. Or producers.

Or even foundersoftheir own theater companies.

Turner’sstudents andUpStage actors are doingall of these things, andthere’s nothingthatfulfills her morethan witnessing their success

From GramblingtoChicago andback

Looking back, there’salways been a stage in Turner’s life, from childhood church productions in her hometown of Augusta, Arkansas,toher college days at Grambling University to her first teaching job in Wheatley,Arkansas. Turner retiredin2016 after acareer of teachingspeech anddrama in Arkansas, Alexandria,Memphis, Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, theEastBaton Rouge Parish School system,Baton Rouge Community College and Southern University

As for her own college training, Turner chose Grambling over herfamily tradition of University of ArkansasatPine Bluff, because she wanted to go to some place different

“I graduated high school in 1973, and we just weren’ttoo far outofsegregation,” Turner said. “But one Sunday afternoon, we were watching afootballgame on television, and at halftime, we sawthis Black band. I’m like, ‘A Black band?’ We didn’tsee BlackpeopleonTVthat much, you know?”

Theband wasGrambling University’s Tiger Marching Band.

After watching the performance and coach Eddie Robinson,she wenttoschool

Her all-kids casts rehearsed in her home, then brought theirplays to New Orleans, Hammond, Alexandria, Grambling and Shreveport.

Turner officially named the company UpStage after she and her husband bought the former officebuildingat1713 Wooddale Blvd. They drew outtheir theater design on paper,then spent amonth remodeling. UpStage Theatre opened in 2002 with metal folding chairs for audience seating. The chairs have since been replaced by cinemaseats purchased from the the Broadmoor Theatre.

Sincethen, authorErnest Gaineshas attended the company’sadaptation of his book, “A Lesson Before Dying” in 2007, and UpStage has produced several Judi Ann Mason plays while helping others’ careerswithits emerging playwrights series.

Actors have becameregulars, and regulars have moved on to other places, but 23 years later,Turner’sdream is still alive. Alifeintheater

on Mondayand asked herguidance counselor for information on the university.As astudent at Grambling in the ’70s, Turner roomed with late television writerJudi AnnMason. She earned her bachelor’sdegreeinspeech anddrama from Grambling in 1976,returned to Arkansas to teach, then enrolledinthe University of Illinois at Chicago to earn her master’sdegree.

ButChicago wasn’tfor her

“I looked outside my windowone morning, and Icould only seethe topofmycar,” she said. “I called mymom and said, ‘This is not for me.’”

Turnerreturned to Grambling, whereshe worked in housing while volunteering in the theater department.That is,untilafriendofthe theater department head came looking for aspeech teacher.The friend ended up being the principal of PeabodyMagnet High School in Alexandria.

“That’s how Igot my job in Alexandria,” Turner said. “And Alexandriais where Imet my husband, Lloyd. Heworked for GM. We got married; then we moved to Memphis.”

Dreams come true

Turnerwas workinginEastBaton Rouge Parish schoolswhen she and her husband accepted temporary teaching positions at Wiley College,where shealsoearnedher doctorate’sdegree.

FROM AVABREWSTER-TURNER AvaBrewster-Turner,left, poses for aphoto with actress LynWhitfield after UpStage Theatre’sproduction, ‘A Tribute to Lyn Whitfield,’atSouthern University

The General Motors job eventually landedthe TurnersinBaton Rouge. They’d becomeparents to son, Terrance, now founder, content creator anddirector of Maddgame Entertainment

Through it all, Turner’sgoal was to start herown theater company, adream that grew organically in 1998, when she began working as thesummer youth director and dramadirector for Baton Rouge’s 4th District BaptistAssociation.

She began teaching at Southern University in 2005, leftthe university in 2011 and returned to the parish school system Through everything, Turner was pulling doubledutybystaging plays at schools and at UpStage with manyofher students becoming regular UpStage cast members. In 2015, UpStage’s production of “Indigo Blues” wonfirstplace in theAssociation of Community Theatre’s State of Louisiana2015 AACTFest, then representedthe state in the national competition in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The company didn’twin thenational competition, but it did draw big crowds in atheater that wasmuch bigger than its homebase. Andfor awhile, Turner was able to provide abiggerspace for hercompany with asecond theater in Cortana Mall.

“Even then, Wooddale Boulevard wasour home base,” Turner said. “Itwill always be our home.”

The space at Wooddale Boulevard is where Turner not only tells stories through directing but also teaching, and her casts and crews listen —closely.And they take what she teaches both on stage and in life.

“Seeing my students and actors at UpStage do wellwarms my heart,” Turner said. “That’sthe biggest reward of all.”

Email Robin Milleratromiller@ theadvocate.com.

Get your smash going on Oct. 2

AROUND THE COMMUNITY

Sparkhound is hosting its second annual Smasha-thon event from 5p.m. to 9p.m. on Oct. 2atCeltic Movie Studios, at 10222 Celtic Drive, in Baton Rouge. Last year’s event recycled 5,045 pounds of equipment, drew over 300 attendees and raised money for The Companion Animal Alliance.

In addition to smashing old IT equipment, the family-friendly event will also include:

n Smashing pumpkins (the activity,not the band)

n Afloppy disk Nerf shooting gallery

n Build your own video game controller and use it!

n Puppies for petting

n Free food

n Live music.

Gala on the Bluff will be heldOct. 17

Get ready for anight of unforgettable music and celebration as R&B legend Evelyn Champagne” King headlines Southern University’sGala on the Bluff on Oct. 17. Known forher timeless hits like “Love Come Down” and “I’m in Love,” King is set to bring her energy to Baton Rouge for Southern University’s Homecoming 2025. The semi-formal gala kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza Executive Center,4728 Constitution Ave., in Baton Rouge, and promises an evening full of rhythm, soul and Louisiana flair.Joining King on stage will be zydeco powerhouse Dwayne Dopsie and the dynamic Harry Anderson Band.

Organizers have set a $100,000 fundraising goal to support scholarships for students in Southern’sCollege of Business.

Ticketsand sponsorship tablescan be purchased online at galaonthebluff. com. Guests may also call Marilyn Doherty at (225) 771-5191, or buy in person at Agnes Andrews Allstate Insurance Agency, 214 S. AcadianThruway in Baton Rouge, (225) 383-0877.

Book Festival 2025 WordShops

TheLouisiana Book Festivalhas announced the faculty for its 2025 WordShops writing workshops, which include aformer Louisiana Poet Laureate, multiple award-winning authors and atop-selling literary agent.

Thethree-hour writing workshops will be held Oct. 31 at the StateLibrary of Louisiana in BatonRouge.

Thecourses are open to writers of all levels of experience, witheach focusing on adifferent topic, ranging from creative writing techniques to the business of writing.

Thefacultylineup forthe festival’s2025 WordShops lineup includes:

n Award-winning children’sbook author Jesse Byrd,atop-producing literary agent who has sold nearly 100 titles to traditionalpublishers during the last four years.

n Writer and editor Michele Filgate, an instructorat Columbia,New York University,The New School, TheSackettStreet Writers’ Workshop, Catapult, TheShipman Agency, and Stanford Continuing Studies.

n Poet and nonfiction authorJulie Kane, the recipient of the 2025 Louisiana Writer Award and the Loui-

siana Poet Laureate for the 2011-2013 term.

n Novelist, poet, speaker and writing teacher Kionna Walker LeMalle, winner of theLee Smith Novel Prize for her book Behind the Waterline.

The schedule features two concurrentsessions in boththe morning and afternoon on Oct. 31.

9a.m.tonoon

n Does Your Writing Smell? The Power of “The Fifth Sense,” with Julie Kane

n Building aWriting Career with Michele Filgate

1p.m.to4p.m

n The Great Character Surrender withKionna Walker LeMalle

n Selling Your Story: Strategies from aTopSelling Literary Agent with Jesse Byrd

Full course descriptions and faculty biographies can be found on the WordShops webpage. Instructors will alsoattendthe Louisiana Book Festival on Nov.1

Registration for each WordShop is $50; for anyone attending both a morning and an afternoon WordShop session, the cost is $90.

Space is limited. Registration paymentsare due by Oct. 24. After that date, registration will be accepted as space allows. To register,gotolouisianabookfestival.org/events/ wordshops/ or call (225) 219-9503.

For more information, visit LouisianaBookFestival.org.

Community Fall Fest BR will be Oct.4

The Walls Project announces Fall FestBR2025, adaylong community celebration taking place from 9a.m. to 2p.m. on Oct. 4at Baton Roots Community

Farm, located at BREC

Howell Park. The event will highlight Baton Rouge’s vibrant culture through hands-on art,agriculture, youthprogramming, and local vendors, providing an engaging experience for families, neighbors and visitors.

Children and families will enjoy all-day experiences including train rides, bounce houses and interactivegames.

Fall FestBR2025 will showcase awide range of art activations and workshops led by local artists, including:

n Garden rock painting to create decorative strawberry-inspired designs.

n Recycled material farm sculptureusing salvaged art materials.

n Potterydemonstrations and practice led by artist

Nickeyia Johnson.

n Pressed flowers workshop with artist Polly Devillier

n Watercolor pigment making with artist Koutney Zimmerman, using plants grownon-site.

n Planter bucket painting forreusable ornamental garden planters.

n Cyanotype printmaking with artist Kelly Rogers.

Youth and agricultural engagement Through Baton Roots, youth and families will have the opportunity to participate in agricultural projects, including strawberry planting, food forest planting, fall crop planting, mulching, composting demonstrations and the construction of aLittle Free Food Library

The day will also feature an Apprenticeship Informa-

tion Session and Lunch-andLearn, offering pathways forcontinued involvement in Baton Roots programming.

Farmers market and vendorfair In

AT THE TABLE

CajunSundaylunch staple will have tongueswagging

BY DEBRA TAGHEHCHIAN

Contributing writer

“Are you going to comehome this weekend andvisit me?”, I asked my daughter,who lives in Houston.

“Well, only if youpromise to make beeftongue,” said my daughter.Itisher favorite.

It may seem like an unusual request, butifyou have never had oven-roastedbeeftongue, you may want to giveita try Ifirst had beef tongue when we lived on the farm.Every nine months or so,wewould slaughterone of ourcattle formeat. The animal would be brought to theslaughterhouse,and thenext day, my motherwould pick upthe offalfor processing at home. The rest of themeat was left at theslaughterhouse to hang in thecooler and be processed laterinthe week. It would becut andwrapped in butcher paper,labeledtomymother’s specifications and placed in our home freezertouse over thefollowing months

Theoffal we receivedwas the liver,intestines,brain, kidneys, heart and tongue.

Although it is not technically offal, oxtail wasincluded, too. My motherseparated and cleaned each item. Some items were frozen, and some werecooked that day,asfreshnessisimportant when eating offal.

When various organs were cooked together, it wascalledcowboystew, or Cajuns callitdebris. As we onlyslaughter animals once or twice ayear,itwas something special. Some of my familymembers loved it, while others only ate thegravy over white rice. Sinceitwas an occasional thing, Ienjoyed the cowboy stew.Ithad adistinctive, robust flavor

Thetongue requires special cleaning. Thewhole tongueis placed in boiling water for 3to5minutes. It is then removed from the water,and while hot, thetongue is scrapedtoremove thewhite outerskin. Once cleaned, Momma would stuff the tongue with finely chopped onions, bell peppers, celeryand garlic. This mixture was highly seasoned with salt, redpepper and black pepper

Oven-roasted tongue was aSundaylunchitemcooked alongsidea beef roast. Momma would put the tongue androast in the oven before we went to Mass, andwewould return homean hour later, and she would continue cooking therestofthe meal. Themealwas rounded outwithwhite rice, vegetables like corn macque choux, fried eggplantmedallions, smotheredokra, sweet peas and acabbage slaw dressedwith white vinegar,salt andpepper

Although we ate well duringthe week,Sundays were the times we feasted and enjoyed eating well, visiting relatives andresting.

Ihope that you might explore cookingoffal. These organ meats are high in minerals and nutritionalvalue.Mymother had the work of cleaning and stuffingthe tongue, but today you canfind them allcleaned,stuffed andseasoned,readyfor cookingatlocal markets in theAcadianaareaofLouisiana.Major big-box stores also have cleaned,ready-to-cook tongues that need to be stuffed and seasoned If those are unavailable where you are, followthe directions below for the dish.

Oven Roasted Beef Tongue

Serves 6-8.

3-4pounds beef tongue

1medium onion, finelychopped

1/2 green bellpepper, finelychopped

1stalk of celery, finelychopped

2garlic cloves, finelychopped

1teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon red cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3tablespoons vegetable oil

2teaspoons salt

1teaspoon red cayenne pepper

2teaspoons granulated garlic

1largeonion, chopped mediumdice

1/2 green bellpepper,chopped medium dice

1. Mix the finely chopped onions, bell pepper,celery and garlic cloves. Add1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon red cayenne pepper and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.Stirto combine.

2. Rinseand pat dry the beef tongue.

3. Using along, sharp knife, make along cut into the center of thetongue, creating a hole down thelength of the center of the tongue. Addthe seasoned chopped vegetables intothe hole. If there are vegetables that remain, add them to theother chopped vegetables

Oven-roasted beef tongue is the maincourse for thisSunday lunch,

along withpeas, rice and gravyand fried eggplant medallions.

4. Season the outside of the tongue with2teaspoons salt, 1teaspoon red cayenne pepper and 2teaspoons granulated garlic.

5. Preheat oven to 400 F.

6. In alarge Dutch oven or oval heavy aluminum pot(such as Magnalite), add 3tablespoons vegetableoil. Addthe tongue to thepot and rollthe tongue into theoil to coat allsides of thetongue.

7. Cover the pot and place in theoven. Cook for 1 hour

8. Removefrom oven and turn the tongue to the other side to continue roasting. Cover thepot and return to theoven.

9. At this point,what you arelooking for is the tongue juices to be released and to begin to reduce andcaramelize. Once you notice that thetongue

juices arewellcaramelized, add remaining chopped vegetables. Stir well.

10. Add 1cup water. Cover and return pot to the oven.Cook,covered, 1morehour. Youmay need to repeat this step, depending on the texture of the tongue

11. Check for doneness by inserting acarving fork into the tongue.You want the tongue to be tender andhavelittle resistance to the fork. Youmay need to addmorewater and cook for longer to getto the desiredtenderness. It is not unusual to cook a tongue for3 hours.

12. Whencooked,slice across the tongue so that each piece hasvegetable stuffing. Serve gravy over abed of white rice.

Forfive decades, Arthur Hardyhas been our neighbor,our guide, and the keeper of our Carnivalmemories. From his Gentillykitchen table in 1977 to receiving the key to the city in 2024,Hardytransformedhimself from aBrotherMartinband director into the man all aboutMardi Gras. Hisannualguidehas reached over3million readers, but for us locals, Arthur is family,the trusted voice whogetsitright,who rodewithRex after documenting them for decades, whostood with us throughthe police strike of ’79,Katrina’s aftermath, and everymagical momentinbetween. This 112-page celebration bringstogether the stories onlyArthur couldtell,filledwith photographs thatcapture the paradesyou remember,the krewesyou cheeredfor andthe moments thatmade youproud to be apartof MardiGras. Arthur Hardyhas preservedthe soul of what makesusNew Orleanians, making this the perfect holidaygift for anyone whobleeds the purple, green and gold of MardiGras. Booksship in time for holidaygift-giving!

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

ATTHE F

On thegreen andinfront of thescreen: Louisiana indoor golf venues breathenew life into sport

BY IANNESALVOSA Staff writer

Whenfive-time Masters champTiger Woods launched his new competitive golf league earlierthisyear, the golf titanwasn’t on alush green with rolling hills, but inside aFlorida stadiumfacing a64-foot screen. That’sbecause TGL, Woods’ new league, features teams of pro golfers playing virtual golf courses on lifelike simulators. It’s powered by FullSwing, asportstechnology company whose customers include avid golfers willing to spend big bucks on systems forthe home as well as businesses looking to add an entertainment aspect to their operation.

TGL is thelatest example of how golf simulator technology is expanding, fusing astaid, slow-moving sport with fast-

moving digital interfaces, creating anew generation of golfers in the process. Louisiana is no exception to this trend. In thepastyear,five new venues,including Swingeasy GolfClub, Anytime24/7 Golf, Chasing Aces, Five OFore andtwo locations of Loft18 have opened around the state. Their models include golf entertainment driving rangeswith foodand drink, club memberships and gym-type concepts where golfers have round the clock access to simulators They joinmore than half a dozenexistingfacilities that have opened within thepast five years around Louisiana, creating anew industrysector and adding to the old-fashioned game in the process

HOUSES

materials to create what the commission’s longtime CEO Kevin Belanger hopes are the first of many houses: a three-bedroom, two-and-a-halfbathroom French traditional-style home elevated on a 10-foot concrete foundation.

As it moves forward, the commission is joining a handful of Louisiana developers and builders betting on steel-framed houses in the hopes of creating stronger structures that are more resistant to extreme weather fire, termites and the state’s humid climate.

Advancements in the capabilities and accessibility of the machines that shape the steel may entice more people to join the cause.

“We went out and studied different building methods and procedures used around country to see what fit our need to withstand salt water, salty air, high winds, fire and termites,” said Belanger “We decided to invest in our own device to turn cold rolled steel into 2x4s.”

Building high and strong

Steel is stronger than lumber and impervious to insects and rot but wood is less expensive and more flexible, and there’s a large workforce with the tools and knowledge to build with it.

Dan Mills, head of the Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans, said that “wood is far and away the most accessible and best product available,” and current building processes protect against “the vast majority of storms.”

But Belanger said that the potential benefits of steel were enough to convince him to successfully lobby his commission’s board to fund a different approach. Construction of the South Central Planning and Development Commission’s first house — at 600 West View Drive in Houma’s Lisa Park subdivision began in January and is now about 70% complete.

“This one took longer and cost more to build than the next one and the one after that will,” Belanger said, because of the training required to use the unfamiliar material The home is designed to be more resistant to wind and fire than its woodframed counterparts, which should make it less expensive to insure.

“Where we live, the typical home costs $225,000 to $250,000 and you can expect to pay $8,500 to $10,000 annually on insurance,” Belanger said. “The first estimate we got for this new house is about $1,200 a year.”

The commission’s construction team is getting ready to lay the foundation for its second house on an adjacent lot Soon, it hopes to produce more than 10 houses a year using its steel “extrusion” machine and the software that controls it.

“Once you load in all the engineered drawings and hit the button, it’ll print out the whole house for you,” Belanger said.

A steel-framing pioneer

Belanger’s team isn’t the first to build steel-framed houses in the region

Builders here and there have opted for metal framing for decades, and many high-end houses include steel framing for special features like long uninterrupted spans in spacious rooms. Real estate developer Jamie Neville may have been the first in New Orleans to develop multiple steelframe homes at once when he opted to use the material for his 45-unit Blueberry Hill project in the Lower 9th Ward, completed in late 2019. He’s waiting to find out if he qualifies for

Baton Rouge

Assurance Financial has promoted Katelyn Hodges, a 13-year company veteran, to compliance manager Hodges, who also serves as vice president of the Louisiana Mortgage Bankers Association, started with the company as a loan officer before founding and managing its training department.

Build Baton Rouge has hired Josh Jefferson as its land bank and real estate counsel and Dexter Alexander as a community real estate coordinator Jefferson, a Baton Rouge native and former contract manager for Tulane University, will oversee

federal tax credits that would help finance a second phase.

Neville was persuaded by a contractor to try the more-expensive framing as a way to keep his construction timetable on schedule.

“I remembered worrying about so many projects when rain and bad weather were holding everything up,” Neville said. “Meanwhile, the clock was still running and the interest on my loan was still accumulating.”

Neville was swayed by a contractor’s promise that walls would be built under the shelter of a warehouse, rain or shine. Another factor in his favor: his plan used multiple versions of a half-dozen home designs, which kept costs down He estimates he ultimately spent 20% more than he would have on traditional framing, but he said there was less waste of materials, and the steel framing, designed by software and shaped by machines, is straighter and more precise than wood lumber

“There’s no human error in these homes,” Neville said. “They are all built with 90-degree angles, so the cabinets, door and windows all fit perfectly.”

Neville said he hasn’t received any major discounts for the steel framing to date but he’s hopeful that will change. If it goes forward, phase two of Blueberry Hill, another 47 units, would likely be built the same way

“Obviously, the concrete foundations have to be poured like a traditional home, but then one day an 18-wheeler shows up and the house goes up like an Erector Set,” Neville said. “They have wall panels A, B, C and D and the house is framed by the end of the day.”

Offsite construction

Steel has been a staple of commercial construction for a century and a half. So, like most commercial construction companies, Jefferson Parish-based RNGD is more than familiar with the material.

But now it is taking its steel building methods to new places, which could eventually make an impact on the construction of single-family homes.

Last year, RNGD opened its 85,000-square-foot manufacturing shop, where workers can assemble steel structures, including wall panels that are pre-loaded with wiring, plumbing, a/c and other mechanical systems. The panels can be stacked flat for shipping like IKEA furniture — and delivered to job sites for assembly

The builder’s new shop uses the same type of machines that the South Central Planning and Development Commission has in Houma.

RNGD already uses offsite construction elements for some of its commercial projects, including the new Hotel Henrietta on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans. It may eventually be able to apply the approach to large developments of single-family homes. Under the right circumstances, the process could help address one of the area’s most vexing problems, according to RNGD Project Manager Chris Dupre.

“If we’re trying to solve the housing affordability crisis one house at a time, we’re going to get to the end of the world before we fix it,” Dupre said. “The key is to do this at scale.” For Belanger in Houma, that affordability is inextricably linked to durability

Histeamplanstobuilditsnewsteelframed homes for about $225,000 and sell them for about the same amount, putting any profits back into the program.

“For years, we have not seen any investment in residential developments in impacted areas,” Belanger said. “The risk of building in flood-prone areas along with high insurance rates has been a killer, so challenging times require bold efforts.”

Email Rich Collins at rich.collins@ theadvocate.com

legal matters, manage title clearing work and provide legal counsel for all of the redevelopment authority’s land transactions. Alexander formerly worked in marketing and business development for the Louisiana Housing Corporation and coordinated the Louisiana Statewide Homeownership Think Tank. In his new role he will help acquire, manage and redevelop land.

Amy Williams has joined Bank of Zachary as assistant vice president and human resource manager After spending the last decade working for H&E Equipment Services, Williams will oversee all human resources

as

GOLF

Continued from page 1E

“You have some of the top golfers in the world competing in the same format,” said Forrest Town, co-owner of Swingeasy Golf Club. “So it makes it that much more attractive to want to learn on these systems.”

‘Perfect’ ground for expansion

The number of golfers, both on the green and in front of a screen, is on the rise in the United States. Last year, 19.1 million people in the U.S. age 6 and up played golf “off course” at entertainment venues, simulators and driving ranges, according to National Golf Foundation data.

That’s 700,000 more than the year prior

Topgolf opened its first Louisiana location in Baton Rouge in 2019, later opening a location in Lafayette in 2023, popularizing the golf entertainment model in a state that is no stranger to the sport, producing PGA stars like Hal Sutton and Sam Burns. The Capital Region faced a shuttering of golf courses about a decade ago but statewide participation has since rebounded.

Town opened Swingeasy on Siegen Lane in June after starting the business in Southern California Branded as a “modern country club,” Swingeasy provides a less expensive, less time-intensive venue for the sport that keeps golfers out of the heat.

Town said the southeast was a “perfect” ground for expansion since golf is embedded in the region’s culture. With the boom in golfers, there aren’t enough courses to accommodate those who are training and learning the sport, he said, so the industry expanded indoors.

Last year, 28.1 million Americans ages 6 and up played golf on an outdoor course, up from 26.6 million in 2023. With 47.2 million people total engaging in the sport in various formats, businesses are leveling up their operation with lessons, expanded simulator game options and strong social media presences to reel in the large audience.

“Technology just continues to take over,” Town said. “If you do it in the right way, it can influence your life so much. And this is a perfect example of it.”

Speedy growth

In St. George, construction is underway for Back Nine Golf, a 24/7 indoor golf franchise. Local franchisee Stacy Canella said the company’s speedy expansion drew her to the business. Back Nine has locations up or in the works in 34 states, including

PEOPLE IN BUSINESS

functions for the bank.

Sales and Marketing Executives of Greater Baton Rouge announced its board of directors for the year beginning in July

Lisa O’Deay, the assistant vice president of marketing for Campus Federal Credit Union, has been picked as board president. Her fellow officers include past presidents Kelly Randow, account executive for Franklin Direct Mail, and Monica Rogers, account executive at World’s Finest Chocolate.

Acadiana

Carrie Calvin and Preston Castille have joined the board of directors of JD Bancshares and JD Bank Calvin is a certified public accountant based on the north shore with experience in auditing and other services in the health care, retail and maritime industries. Castille, an attorney, is president and CEO of Helix Community Schools and an elected member of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Second-

a

four locations planned for Louisiana. At Back Nine, golfers purchase memberships which allow them to book tee times. Fifteen minutes prior to their tee time, they receive a code to access their booked bay Canella said the business model gives a lot of flexibility for franchisees’ day-to-day presence with their location.

Back Nine Golf St. George will have three bays with Full Swing simulators and offer individual memberships where members can invite up to 30 guests and corporate memberships. Canella said the business is designed to be profitable with about 30 memberships per bay, and after that point, more memberships mean it’s time to open another location.

Canella’s husband, Frank, is an avid golfer and he said getting tee times at local courses is a struggle. Often he has to book times seven to 10 days out because all the upcoming slots are taken. Indoor golf bays like Back Nine expand the opportunity to play the sport and provide instant feedback for golfers looking to improve their game Canella said.

“Full Swing is kind of like Back Nine,” she said “They keep investing and looking and improving and trying to get better and better at what they do.”

Another round-the-clock concept that opened locally is Anytime 24/7 Golf, which debuted this summer on Government Street. The business has four bays available, and members can choose from 500 different courses to play on. Sean Braswell said his business is designed for people looking to learn how to play golf or who want to better their game.

“This is more for the serious golfer,” he said. “Not designed to be an amusement place.”

Getting back on the course

Chasing Aces co-owner John Dudley considers himself to be in the entertainment business. The complex opened in Bossier City in June with a par-3 course, swing bays, a putting zone as well as food and drink. He said his focus on entertainment creates an atmosphere that introduces people to golf, with a goal of eventually getting them on the course.

Chasing Aces saw 47,000 visitors in its first month and 50,000 in its second month of operation. Dudley said about 70% of his customers are nongolfers and 43% of his customers are women, a group that has previously been less represented in the sport but is on the rise. The number of female golfers nationwide has increased by 41%

since 2019, according to the National Golf Foundation.

The venue hosts recurring events like Wine and Wedges, which includes a lesson from golf pros and a glass of wine, to ease people into golf.

Dudley said he’s seen an uptick in young golfers as well after short-form content creators like Snappy Gilmore, known for his one-handed swing, have platformed the sport. He said he sees young customers try to emulate Snappy Gilmore often.

“People want to be a part of it,” he said.

Beyond golf

Loft18, an indoor golf venue with locations in Metairie, Baton Rouge, Mandeville, Broussard and Houston, uses a hybrid hospitality model and brands itself as an “interactive sports bar.” In addition to golf simulators, Loft18 offers virtual darts, zombie dodgeball and baseball simulator games.

Owner Greg Whitman said the business model has risen in popularity within the last five to 10 years and has become focused more on food, drink and service. When he launched the business in 2017, their tagline was “Eat, drink, golf.” Now, their tagline is “Watch sports, play sports.”

“We realized early on that we can get golfers, but we can’t sustain by just golfers alone because of our square footage and our footprint,” Whitman said. Each location sees anywhere from 4,000 to 8,000 visitors per month. Most of their marketing relies on word-of-mouth, he said, which works well in the South due to its strong regional network.

Whitman said Loft18 saw an influx of customers during the pandemic after people left New Orleans for places with looser COVID restriction. The venue has maintained its popularity with a broadened focus on other sport simulations bringing in a diverse audience.

Since the pandemic, other indoor golf venues have staked their ground in the New Orleans metro area. Golf entertainment complex Five O Fore, opened in New Orleans in April and was booked up for their first few months. Plans for a Topgolf were in the works but fizzled out in June and now investors plan to put a Popstroke, a minigolf chain co-owned by Woods in its place.

With various business models and a growing audience seeking everything from training to socializing to learning the sport, Whitman says the rising golf entertainment venues complement one another

“It’s a nice hodgepodge of all types and walks of life,” he said.

ary Education New Orleans

Cappy Johnson has been hired as a senior portfolio manager at Delta Financial Advisors. Johnson brings along 20 years of experience advising wealthy clients, foundations and endowments in the investment management industry

Several hires and promotions were announced this month at the Loyola University New Orleans’ College of Music and Media. Shaniece Bickham has been named director of the School of Communication and Design, where she will lead the school and work as an associate professor of mass communication.

LauraJayne has been promoted from director of student services to become assistant dean of the College of Music and Media. Alan Mills will oversee the winds, brass and percussion program as conductor and coordinator of wind bands and teach conducting and music education classes as an assistant professor in the School of Music and Theatre Professions.

Jessica DeKleva has been hired as coordinator of music therapy

Jeffrey Ory has been hired as an instructor in mass communication, where he will teach classes in public relations.

TALKING BUSINESS

ASK THE EXPERTS

N.O.

firm aims to close startup funding gap

BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer

“What we noticed was that local founders here were being overlooked, not because their ideas weren’t strong, but because they didn’t ‘look the part’ compared to founders on the coasts.”

That’s how Kwamena Aidoo describes the problem Corridor Ventures set out to solve when it launched in New Orleans in 2022. The young investment firm focuses on backing promising startups in the South at the very earliest stages, when raising money is often toughest.

Aidoo, who built a career in finance and private equity, teamed up with Kelli Saulny, a New Orleans native with deep roots in entrepreneurship and nonprofit support. Saulny helped grow Carol’s Daughter, the beauty brand later acquired by L’Oréal, and worked at Camelback Ventures, which supported women and minority founders Aidoo co-founded Cannon Capital, a $100 million fund, and earlier worked at major investment firms in New York Together, they created Corridor Ventures to bridge the funding gap in the region. The firm typically invests up to $500,000 in fields like health, climate and technology, while also offering hands-on guidance and connections to help founders succeed.

In this week’s Talking Business, Saulny and Aidoo discuss their strategy, the challenges they see for Southern entrepreneurs, and what it means to build a venture firm in New Orleans

The following has been edited for clarity and length.

Why base Corridor in New Orleans?

Aidoo: All four of us who launched the firm — Kelli and me, along with partners Jarrett Cohen and Adrian Mendez are from New Orleans or the South. We built careers elsewhere, then came back. What we noticed was that founders

Q&A WITH KWAMENA AIDOO AND KELLI SAULNy

here were being overlooked, not because their ideas lacked promise, but because they didn’t “look the part” compared with entrepreneurs on the coasts. Investors often chase a familiar mold — the next Zuckerberg, for example — rather than evaluating each founder on their own merits. When I returned in 2018, I started coaching founders, often through Kelli’s connections at Camelback. The talent was clear The lack of capital was, too That gap led directly to starting Corridor Kelli, what did you see on the ground when

you worked with Camelback?

Saulny: I had spent years in New York, helping build a company that eventually sold to L’Oréal. So I knew what capital and networks could do for a young business. Coming home, I saw founders with terrific ideas tackling big issues whether in hospitality, culture, or water management. But too often, their work stalled because they didn’t have the money or the relationships to take the next step. One strength of Southern entrepreneurs is that they’re close to the problems they’re solving. That

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gives them insight and urgency

We wanted to provide the missing piece: funding, along with practical guidance. How has fundraising gone since you launched?

Aidoo: We didn’t rush. In 2022, we spent time traveling the South — Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham, Birmingham, Tampa — testing our theory that overlooked founders were everywhere By 2023, we raised about $2 million from regional banks, family offices and individual investors, and made our first five investments, includ-

ing two in New Orleans. This year, we’ve been raising a $30 million flagship fund and have closed about $3.5 million so far including some institutional backing. Our local portfolio includes Ingest, a restaurant technology company that’s grown from under $300,000 in annual revenue to more than $2.5 million, and Obatala Sciences, which develops alternatives to animal testing Those companies show the potential here when capital meets talent.

Some local incubators have been criticized for a lack of diversity What’s Corridor’s perspective?

Saulny: I can’t speak for every group, but for us, diversity is a natural outcome of where we operate and who we are. Our networks are broad, so we see a wider range of founders. That makes our portfolio more reflective of the South.

Aidoo: Exactly We don’t have a mandate around race or gender, but we also don’t fall into the trap of backing the same kind of founder over and over That’s both a responsibility and an advantage. What more could New Orleans and Louisiana do to support this ecosystem?

Aidoo: Collaboration is critical I’m encouraged to see groups like Idea Village, Momentum Fund and Nexus Louisiana beginning to work together But we also need more local capital at the table. Too much wealth here sits on the sidelines, flowing into private deals instead of startups. If more of that money supported early-stage companies, we’d build a stronger funding pipeline.

Saulny: And we need to define innovation on our own terms. New Orleans doesn’t need to mimic Silicon Valley We should build on our strengths — hospitality, water management, health — and create a vision that’s authentic and globally relevant That’s how the city finds its stride.

Email Anthony McAuley tmcauley@theadvocate.com.

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Want to be a401(k)millionaire?

Patient long-term investors are experiencing an “I told you so” moment.

These are the folks who, when asked, will tell you to stay the course whenever thestock market gets bumpy.Aftera turbulent spring, thisadvice has paid off: On Monday,the S&P 500 closed ata high of 6,693.75 points.

The stock surge has welcomed a record number of investors into the millionaire’s club, according to Fidelity Investments, one of the largest administrators of workplace retirement plans.

Fool’s Take:Fastfood anddividends

The number of 401(k) accounts with $1 million or more rose 16.2% to 595,000 in the second quarter compared with the previous quarter,according to the company’s latestretirement analysis. Year-overyear,the number of 401(k) millionaires increasedbynearly 20%. Meanwhile, the average 401(k) balanceincreased by 8.4% from ayear earlier,reachinga highof$137,800.

While these figures only reflect the accountsmanaged by Fidelity,other retirement plan administrators have reported similar trends.

The number of millionaires investing in theThrift Savings Plan,the federal government’s versionofa 401(k),also increased, rising 16.4% as of June 3, compared to theprevious quarter

There is akey strategy among the members of this club that is worth following. They do not try to time the market by jumping out duringdownturns or becoming overly euphoric during rallies. Notably,they did not panic this past spring, when the stock market was tumbling because of President Donald Trump’sroller-coaster trade wars. Economic forecasts predicted that Trump’strade actions would cause higher prices, job losses and possiblya recession. And some of the forecasts are coming true. Inflation is sticking around. Consumers are experiencing higher prices because of the rising cost of imported goods. Long-termunemployment is at apost-pandemic high. The U.S. labor market added fewer jobs this summer.But marketsare bubbly because they expect the Federal Reserve to lower interest ratesthis fall, starting with the recent quarter-point cut. Still, this administration’sself-inflicted volatility understandablyhas caused anxiety for many investors. Itry not to dismisspeople’sfeelings of dread during turbulent times in the

stock market. It is tough not to panic when you see your retirement account suffer abig loss in just afew days. Buteven when Iamhyperventilating, Ifind comfort in the habits of 401(k) millionaires who have spent decades building retirement security through their workplace plans. Ialso revisit an exampleFidelity often uses to illustrate the different types of retirement savers andhow modeling millionairehabitshas worked in the long run.

So, which typeofinvestor are you?

Thepanic seller

Theseinvestors get scared by the big drops and pull their money outofthe stock market. They often stop contributing to their 401(k).

Early spring, the marketsaw significant drops, but soon, “everything swung back up,” said Mike Shamrell, Fidelity’s vice president for workplace thought leadership. “People who didn’ttake a knee-jerk reaction in April were able to takeadvantage of the market gains in May and June.”

This is why you should avoid reacting to short-term swings because you can end up causing the very thing you fear Youlock in yourlosses and miss out on the market’seventual recovery

When you’re a401(k) millionaire, you understand thatpast performance doesn’tguarantee future results. Nonetheless, history has shown that poor markets eventually recover and give way to better returns.

Themarkettimer

Theseinvestors also panic and cash out. They may stop contributing to the workplace plan but resumeonce the market recovers.

This is betterthan staying on the sidelines, but waiting until the market rebounds can mean missing out on the biggest gains. Wait toolong and your returns are lower thanthose of others who stayed put.

“What if I’m near retirement or retired?” these investors often ask.

“Wetell people even when you reach retirement, you still may need your savings to last 15, 20, 30 years,”Shamrell said. “You want to makesure you are continuing to try to take advantage of any growth opportunities.”

Shamrell said it’simportant thatyou can sleep at night so you have to be comfortablewith how much risk you are taking. “But you also want to makesure that you’re not doing anything that’s going to possibly backfire on you in the long run,” he said.

Here’sa quote from Shamrell you should put on your fridge: “Welike to say ‘Don’ttry to time the market, put time in the market.’”

Thedisciplined investor

These investors have aplan and stick to it. The stock market doesn’tmake them seasick. Instead, theycontinue to invest, employing adollar-cost averaging strategy: This is when you invest afixed dollar amount regularly,regardless of the investment’sprice.

“Wetell people marketvolatilityis not just when the market goes down, it’s also when the marketswings up,”Shamrell said.

Shamrell said when marketsare down, investors want to know if there’s something they should do. And when the marketisroaring, theyask what they should be doing to take advantage of a rally

“Our answer is the same,”hesaid. “Stay the course. Youdon’tmake changes to your 401(k) based on short-term marketevents. Only makechanges to your 401(k) based on your long-term goals.”

As these investors near retirement, theyreview their holdings. They employ abucketing strategy thatcan help manage market volatility by dividing retirement income into three categories: short-term, midterm and long-term needs.

In the first category,you have cash, short-term certificates of deposit or high-quality fixed incomeassets that can be used to cover daily living expenses over one to threeyears. This serves as a buffer during market downturns.

Your midterm bucket includes investments designed to keep pace with inflationorslightly outpace it. It may consist of high-qualitybonds, dividend-paying stocks and abalanced mutual fund. Your longer-term bucket can stay moreaggressively invested, as you might not need these funds for another decade or more

The smart investor knows the importance of playing the long game. If you have an investment plan, you don’tneed to make impulsive moves when the market becomes volatile. Youshould also avoid becoming overconfident and taking unnecessary risks when the market is performing exceptionally well.

When Wall Street gets wild, just follow the example of 401(k) millionaires Email Michelle Singletary at michelle. singletary@washpost.com.

McDonald’s(NYSE: MCD) boasted over 44,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries as of June 30 —with about 95% of its locations operating under franchises. It has several arrangements, but generally,the franchisee pays McDonald’saroyalty based on apercentage of sales. McDonald’salso collects rent for properties it owns. These agreements mean that McDonald’sdoesn’tinvest muchcapital to maintain restaurants, helping it maximize free cash flow (FCF). That’sanimportant consideration for dividend-seeking investors. The company generated $3.1 billion in FCF during the first half of the year,compared with $2.5billionin dividends. McDonald’sremains firmly committed to dividends, too. Nearlyayear ago, the board of directorsraised quarterly dividends by 6% to $1.77, making 48 straight years of increased payments. The stock’s recent2.3% dividend yield bests theS&P 500 index’s1.2% Value-priced meals are frontand center on thefastfood leader’s menu, and increasingly price-sensitive diners are responding in kind.

Askthe

It’simportant to answer two separate questions: Is this ahigh-quality company with competitive advantages, ahealthy balance sheet (little debt, plenty of cash), and great growth prospects? And is its stock price attractive?

Assessing astock’svaluation can be tricky,but you might start with asimple price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio. A$20 stock maybeovervalued and likely to fall, while a$500 stock maybeagreat bargain, destined to hit $1,000 in afew years and $2,000 afterthat. The number of shares you buy doesn’tmattermuch, either —you can double or triple your investment whether you buy three shares or 300 shares.

I’ve readthat someone is “long” astock.What does that mean?

B.I., Greenwood, South Carolina It means they’ve invested in the usualway,bybuying shares and expecting them to increase in value This is in contrast to being “short” astock, meaning the aim is to profit if the stock’spricefalls.

Leaderseye future of N.O. entrepreneurial‘ecosystem’

Eventaimstoidentify opportunities, challenges for development

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

“Leaders

who arrived in the last five years have no idea how we gothere, so we hope this eventhelps pass the torch to them.”

KIMBERLyGRAMM,

leader of the Tulane Innovation Institute

In the summer of 2000, ahandfulofentrepreneursand civic activists met at the LoaBar in downtown New Orleans anddecided to invest in abusiness plan competition they hoped would ignite an economic spark in acitysuffering from an exodus of young professionals.

Some consider that moment the uno ffici al launch of an “entrepreneurial ecosystem” that has grown over time to support the founders of hundreds of startupcompanies emulating the success coming out of Silicon Valley and the nation’s other tech hubs.

Earlier this month, several members of that original Loa group were among more than50 current and former businessand civic leaders to participate in an event lookingback at the history of the New Orleans startup scene and planning where it goes nextin the latest era of uncertainty for the city

Meeting at The Nieux, astartupfocusedevent spaceonSt. Charles Avenue, the groupspent five hours in AI-assisted brainstorming sessions to help identify challenges andopportunities for local economic development.

The first tangible outcome of the meeting is the formation of the NOLA Entrepreneurship Council, a“working group that will take up issues, from policy to funding to quality of life, that arecritical to the success of our innovation ecosystem,” said Michael Hecht, president andCEO of Greater New Orleans Inc., the city’seconomic development nonprofit. Hecht was one of the participants at theNieux event.

Other proposals include funding an onlinedashboard that tracks startup activity in the region, lobbying thenextmayor of New Orleanstohire adirector of innovation and creating an ambassador program to connect local entrepreneurswith peers outside the city

The entrepreneurship council, which hasn’thad its first meeting yet, plans to release thecomplete list of ideas soon.

TimWilliamson, co-owner of

The Nieux and amember of the original Loa group,said the brainstorming event— paid for by several local organizations, agencies andentrepreneurs —was inspired by atrip he took to an innovation conference earlier this year with Kimberly Gramm, the leader of thethree-year-old Tulane Innovation Institute.

“Wecame back thinking that New Orleans is actually ahead of most of that crowd becausewe’ve been around for 25 years,” Williamson said.“Leaders whoarrived in the last fiveyears have no idea how we got here, so we hope this event helps pass the torchto them.”

Growth andchange

The Nieux eventalsowas a chancetoreflect on an evolving ecosystem.

Before Katrina, thenonprofit startupaccelerator TheIdeaVillageand GNO Inc.werethe two most prominent organizations promotingentrepreneurshipin theregion

Sincethen, other accelerators and incubators —including Propeller,whichfocusesonentrepreneurship as aforce for social change; and the New Orleans BioInnovation Center,which provides labs for science startups —have emerged.New investorslike the NewOrleans Startup Fund, the Gulf South Angels, Benson Capi-

tal Partners andBoot64 Ventures have created more funding opportunities.

Andinnovation hasbecome apriority forlocal universities, health care systems and state government.

Andy Stoll, an Omaha-based entrepreneur andconsultant whohas connections to New Orleans, said thosechangesdemonstratethe evolution of the scene from acivic enterprise to something more institutional.

“Fifteen yearsago, some of these organizations wouldn’tgive some of these entrepreneurs thetime of day,” Knoll said. “Now,they have signed onto this.”

The results,25yearslater,have been mixed. The local entrepreneurial ecosystem hasn’tgiven NewOrleans its own Google or Amazon, but severallocaltech startups —including Lucid,Levelset and Turbosquid —have hada totalof$2.8 billion in “exits,” the

tech world’sterminology describing liquidityevents forfounders and investors.

Theunderlyingquestions for participants in the Sept. 12 brainstorming session werehow to create the next Lucid or Levelset, andhow to build companiesthat will grow throughacquisitions of their own, retaininglocaljobs andcorporate headquarters in the process?.

Participantsidentifiedchallenges for the city thatinclude a frustrating permitting process, an aging population, increased cybersecurity threats and ashortage of health careprofessionals.

Severalpeople emphasized the opportunity to turn thosechallenges into opportunities.

“We’re living in alaboratory for climate change,soweought to be able to come up withideas to build businesses in thatspace,” said AllenBell, an executive at alocal housing nonprofit.

Disaster recovery was identifiedasanother area of expertise to be exploited.

Many participants said there’s nothing moreimportant to the city than fixing quality-of-life issues, which are impediments to investment. Bill Hines, managingpartner of the lawfirm Jones Walker,encouraged the group to aimhigher.

“It would be pitiful if ourbiggest initiative is getting garbage pickup right,”hesaid.

Email RichCollins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.

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Gallagher: ALouisiana StoryofGrowth, Community andResilience

Gallagher,one of the world’slargestinsurancebrokerage,risk managementand consulting firms, has asignificantpresencein Louisiana, with arich history andadeep commitmenttothe local community. With roots in the statedatingback decades, Gallagher has grownintothe largest broker inLouisiana, providing awide array of services to businesses of allsizes acrossvarious sectors

“WhereIthink we areuniquelypositioned is thatwedon’t have that institutional mindset. We haven’talwaysbeen big.We’vealwayshad to be alittle morenimble, creativeand client-centric, said” Numa “Bumpy” Triche,regional president. “The result isthatwehavethe sizeand scale of anybody in the world, with robustdataanalytics and modeling capabilities. But our local operations arevery much integrated within the local market.”

Founded in 1927,Gallagher has expanded globally and reports $11.3 billion in total adjustedbrokerage andrisk managementrevenues in 2024 and amarket capitalization of $76.1billion as of January 30,2025.

Thecompanyhas aworkforce of nearly56,000 employees worldwide morethan 970officesglobally,and servesclients in over130 countries.

In Louisiana, Gallagher’s journeybeganwithanacquisition in Baton Rouge,which led to theestablishmentofofficesinNew Orleans and Monroe,Louisiana. Thecompanyhas strategically acquired local firms overthe years, integrating their employees and maintaining alocal focus. This growth has resulted in 18 officesstatewide and asignificant regional market share. Thecompanyhas grownits businessbyworking withpeople and organizations who sharecommon values and vision. “Gallagher has one of thelargest operations within ourSoutheastregion in terms of our footprint acrossthe stateand the various markets, Triche said. “Atthe same time, we arealwaysclient-focused, withthe people in the statebeing the ones who work with the local teams and businesses. People work with us because we provide awhite-glove service experiencewitheasyaccessibilitytoour team and our broader tools and resources. We have invested heavily in areas relatedtodata analysis and forensicaccounting in order to provide the technical and detailed support to our teams.Whatwedoisoffer ourclients access to global expertise tailored to their needs.”

As proud as Gallagher is of its growth,theyare prouder to have been able to maintainits unique culture. This cultureissummed up in 25 tenets called TheGallagher Way, aset of shared values thatemphasize ethics, integrityand aclient-centricapproach. These values were articulatedbyRobert E. Gallagher backin1984and have sinceguided the company’soperations and relationships. Keyprinciples include providing excellentrisk managementservices,supporting and respecting colleagues, pursuing professional excellenceand fostering open communication. Thecompanyculturevalues empathy, trust, leadership and teamwork, with astrong emphasis on treating everyone with courtesyand respect

Gallagher’s commitmenttoLouisiana goes beyond business. The companyhas alocalpresence, with employees deeply embedded in the community.

“Our employees see theirclients at church on Sundays,play golf with them on Saturdays,and go to lunch with them on Wednesdays,” said William Jackson, ExecutiveVicePresidentof Gallagher’s SoutheastRegion and leader of the NewOrleans operation and the region’s specialtyproducts.Our local connection is akey differentiatorfor Gallagher,combining the resourcesand capabilities of alarge global firmwith the personalized serviceofa communitybroker.

“Weteam up withlocalpartnerstomakeevery communitywejoin a morevibrantone.Fromfundraisersfor localcharities to crawfishboils and hurricane relief,our officesgivebacktothe peopleand places in whichwelive. As we grow larger,wemaintain close ties to the communities we serve.

Gallagher serves adiverse range of industries in Louisiana,including manufacturing, agribusiness, public sector,higher education, aerospace, energy,entertainmentand lifesciences. Thecompanypositions itself as athought leader when it comes to riskmanagementguidance on topics suchascyber risks, healthcare,marine construction AI, social inflation and other influences thatimpactinsurance claim costs, leading to higher premiums and impacting the insuranceindustry’srisklandscape.The team prides itself on providing expertiseand insights on keyindustries and currenteventsimpacting this region.

WILLIAM JACKSON ExecutiveVicePresidentSoutheast Region, Gallagher

Gallagher is poised forcontinued success in Louisiana,driven by its strong values, localfocus and expertise in keyindustries. Thecompany’s emphasis on client-centric service, combined with its global resources, positions it as atrustedpartner forbusinesses andindividuals seeking insurance, risk managementand consulting solutions.AsGallagher continues to grow and adapttothe evolving needsofthe market its commitmenttothe local communities remains acornerstone of its identity

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HUGHES, SHERI TATE22600 WEST ST #CPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2227

JACK, COURTNEY IESHA11350 CHURCH ST MARINGOUIN, LA 70757-3615

JAMES, TYLER5405 SMITH ST ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4240

JENKINS, DIANNE M58206 MERIAM ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2814

JOHNSON, DAVID DUANE 6610 HWY 74 #606 ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4567

JOHNSON, DOROTHY MAE58570 WARE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4248

JOHNSON, GREGORYNELSON1565 BESSON LN SUNSHINE,LA70780-3524

JOHNSON, KEIOSHA D4621 MARTIN LUTHERKING JR PKWY ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4217

JOHNSON, TERRI DIAN DORR 165 GRACESDRSTGABRIEL, LA 70776-4443

JOHNSON, TRAMANN LUNDON 2050 JAKE LN SUNSHINE, LA 70780-3506

JONES, CALEB RASHAD 58385 HOMESTEAD DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5203

JONES, ROXANNE WESTLEY 1819 RAVIER LN SUNSHINE,LA70780-3516

JORDAN, EDWARD 57841 LUCKEYSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4368

JORDAN, MONCEITA1465 RAVIERLNSUNSHINE,LA70780-3512

JOURNEE, DAJONE 22765 AIDAN RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5254

JUDD, HOLLYANNE 7330 BAYOUPAUL RD ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-5719

KAISER, MARION B967 RIVERRDSUNSHINE, LA 70780-3101

KAUFMAN JR, COREY ANDRE 24826 FRANK ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4316

KEITH, JENNIFER RIVET 59037 OBIERAVE PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3427

KELSON, KOBE DONTRELL 32670 SHERLEY RDENNISSTWHITECASTLE, LA 70788-2512

KENNEDY,WILLIAM HORACE 35025 HWY 75 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7600

KING JR, JIMMIE FRANK 77305 LANDRYDRMARINGOUIN,LA70757-3208

KIRKLAND, DEIDRE GOMEZ 59100 OBIERAVE PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3454

LACOMBE, SARAH ANN 17985 BSIDNEY RD GROSSE TETE, LA 70740-3212

LACOUR, FRANCIS DELMAYNE 16540 HWY 77 ROSEDALE,LA70772

LANDRY, ANNE MARIA 59030 OBIERAVE PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3428

LANDRY, BRITTANY MARIE 58040 LABAUVEAVE #BPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3243

LANDRY, DANNY JAMES 64300 L&LRDPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7823

LATHAN, VICTOR CRAIG 76775 MAGNOLIA ST GROSSE TETE, LA 70740

LEBLANC, CLAYTHOMAS 59735 DERRICKRDPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6592

LEBLANC, JOSEPH FRANCOIS1157 ROY GOMEZ RD SUNSHINE,LA70780-3115

LEFEAUX, JEREMIE 10705 HWY 411 MARINGOUIN,LA70757-3803

LEWIS, CHEVELLE JENE 33165 BOWIE ST WHITE CASTLE,LA70788-2714

LEWIS, CINDYLOU 39385 HWY 75 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7734

LUCKETT III, ROBERTLARRY5540 MARTIN LUTHERKING JR PKWY CARVILLE,LA70721-2213

MAJOR, BONNIE GURI53565 STONE ST WHITE CASTLE,LA70788-4909

MAJOR JR, RICHARD HERMAN PAUL 33650 BOWIE ST WHITE CASTLE,LA70788-2721

MAJOR, RISHYRA J57700 DESOBRYSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3705

MARIONNEAUX, HOWARD L63225 BELLEVIEW RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6315

MARIONNEAUX, MARYOURSO 57830 LABAUVEAVE PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3336

MARSHALL, CHARLETTE RAE 77135 IBERVILLE DR MARINGOUIN, LA 70757-3701

MARTIN, SAMANTHA ANN24121 DUNN ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3710

MARTINEZJR, HUEYVINCENT34755-A HWY 75 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7215

MATTHEWS, RODERICK D10765 RAILROAD DR MARINGOUIN,LA70757

MCALISTER, SIERRA LYNN 63315 ROSE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7807

MELLION, GLORIAJEAN 58609 CAPTAIN THARRIS ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3001

MELLION, LAWRENCEA 24825 RYLANDER ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4245

MILES, GARY LOUIS 5335 MORRIS ST CARVILLE,LA70721

MILLER, ALEXANDRA MCCRAE 110 PECAN DR ST GABRIEL,LA70776-5500

MILLER, JENNA VIOLET 25615 SUMMERSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6320

MILLIEN, MARTIN B20120 CHARLESORY DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5312

MINOR, CYNTHIA LAVONE23630 ASH ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2960

MORGAN,KELVINDEMETRICE 58445 DELACROIX AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3566

MORRISIII, JOHN 32830 ADAMS DR WHITE CASTLE,LA70788-2604

MYLES, ROCQUAILSHANDEAN 58430 BARROW ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4208

NAVARRE, CHERAMIETULLIER59545 MYRTLE GROVE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7438

NERO, LAUREN P400 SOUTH CLUB AVESTGABRIEL, LA 70776-4441

NICOLOSI, ALLISON ELIZABETH 23425 KIRTLEY DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5535

NORTH, MICHELLE FONTENOT 370 SOUTH CLUB AVESTGABRIEL, LA 70776-4440

NUNEZ, SARAIN23085 JACOB ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2318

OLIVER, HERMAN DERROD 57686 TRUE HOPE LN PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4541

ORCINO, GRANT ALEXANDER 25315 COMMODORE ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4407

OSBORNE, KRISTIE L33635 BOUDREAUXSTWHITE CASTLE,LA70788-2729

PANEPINTOI,SARA CAMILLE 749 RIVER RD SUNSHINE,LA70780-3203

PARKER JR, EDOUARD L57830 GOVERNMENT ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2306

PATE, BAILEY CHRISTIAN 58620 HYMEL ST WHITE CASTLE,LA70788-4205

PATIN, JOHNATHANHUNTER 1005 RIVER RD SUNSHINE,LA70780-3102

PATTUM, JONATHONCOLBY 5556-A MARTIN LUTHERKING JR PKWY CARVILLE,LA70721-2213

PAUL, WENDYUNDERWOOD 1425 BAYOU PAUL LN ST GABRIEL,LA70776-4925

PERSILVER, THOMAS LAVELL 54905 BABIN DR WHITE CASTLE,LA70788-2202

PHAGAN,CHRISTOPHER MARK 77755 BELMONTLNMARINGOUIN, LA 70757-3001

PHILLIPS, LOUIS M1311 HWY 75 SUNSHINE,LA70780-3109

PINDELL, JOSHUA A53590 STONE ST WHITE CASTLE,LA70788-4909

POCHE, AIMEESMITH59425 MICHELLE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6557

POSTON JR, CHARLES LOUIS 65695 JR DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7307

RAY, FABIAN AYLLISA 32030 LACROIX RD WHITE CASTLE,LA70788-3560

REDDITT,SEAN KEITH 4825 MARYLAND ST ST GABRIEL,LA70776-4250

REED, WALLACEW 23631 FEDERAL ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2809

RICARD, RENIKASHANTEL

MARIE 22865 AIDAN RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5238

RICHARDSON, JOHNNYO 57420 CPL HERMAN BROWN JR DR #BBAYOU GOULA, LA 707883123

ROBERTSON,DAEQUAN RAYNELL 5630 MAGNOLIA SPRINGS PKWY,#ACARVILLE,LA70721-2102

ROBERTSON JR, STEPHEN RAY23036 WEST ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2210

RODRIGUEZ, MANDY HIMEL55360 MYLES RD WHITE CASTLE,LA70788-4607

RODRIGUEZ, NATHAN PAUL 23318 IBERVILLE ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2511

RODRIGUEZ, WENDY L32520 LEONA AVEWHITE CASTLE,LA70788-2514

ROSEMONDJR, ARTHUR NOAH 33000 OLANO ST WHITE CASTLE,LA70788-2333

ROTH II, DWAYNE 58075 HOMESTEAD DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5200

ROUCHER, CAYLA ALICIA 22165 WALKERST#34PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2047

RUMFOLA, LORI ALBARADO 59200-A NEWCAMP RD WHITE CASTLE,LA70788-4141

SANCHEZ, EMMANUEL 20188 DANIELLNPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5303

SANDOVAL ROSIER, ANGELA HARRIET 1450 SPANISH LAKESAVE ST GABRIEL,LA70776-5331

SCHERMER, AUSTINJAMES 24633 PECAN PLACE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3804

SCOTT JR, NORMAN D54985 MAYOR DOC FOLEY ST WHITE CASTLE,LA70788

SCOTT,SHARON ANN23920 TAYLOR ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3041

SCOTT,TAMMYLYNN5645 MONROE LN CARVILLE,LA70721

SENECA, KINSLEY PAIGE 17380 HWY 77 GROSSE TETE, LA 70740-3009

SIMPSON, CHESLYN ALYSE 24155 TECHE ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4600

SMITH, CARDELL KEITH 4835 LANDRY ST ST GABRIEL,LA70776-4245

SMITH JR, MICHAEL JEROME59040 MARTIN LUTHERKING BLVD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3034

SMITH, SANDRA DENISE 3665 BANKDR#C ST GABRIEL,LA70776-4617

SMITH III, SHERMAN 32820 ADAMS DR WHITE CASTLE,LA70788-2604

SON,RANDY LOUIS 62535 BAYOU RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5918

SPARKS, BENJAMIN K58488 WW HARLEAUX ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3136

SPARKS, KENNETH LEROY 12110 SPARKS LN MARINGOUIN,LA70757-4006

SPEARS, JOHN 25925 TENANT RD #A-4 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6545

SPILLMAN, TIMOTHY JAMES 1217 HWY 75 SUNSHINE,LA70780-3108

TATNEY, VERNA WILSON 5380 BETTY MARTIN DR CARVILLE,LA70721-2129

TEMPANARO, DAVIDJ 59100 POSTELL AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3461

THIBODEAUX, BRITTANYE 23620 SEMINARYSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2741

TODD, BELINDA S59235 BELLEVIEW RD #3PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3827

TROSCLAIR, RUDOLPH 13140 HWY 76 MARINGOUIN,LA70757-4206

VALLES, ERINELIZABETH 24150 EDEN ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3713

VERRET,GINA P58190 RANDOLPHS DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7430

VESSEL, KEDRA BANKS 59335 KEMBER DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6568

VINCE, AVERYWAINE 57857 ORANGE DR #6PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2117

WADE, CAITLIN 1104 MADRID AVESTGABRIEL, LA 70776

WATSON,JESSICA BUMPURS 58115 ELMSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3203

WESLEY,DONTRELL JAVANTE22705 BLAKENEYLNPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5234

WHITE, ROBERTALLEN 1445 SIDNEYSTSUNSHINE,LA70780-3215

WICKS, TERRA LYNETTE 57924 CENTERSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4310

WILEY,ELIZABETH 77430 COMSTOCK ST MARINGOUIN,LA70757

WILLIAMS JR, ATKINS 1760 BAYOU PAUL LN ST GABRIEL,LA70776-4939

WILLIAMS, LACELIA N 31851 LACROIX RD WHITE CASTLE,LA70788-3620

WILLIAMS, WENDY MARIE24315 ENGOLIO ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3704

WILSON,DONTE MARQUINCY 25251 PATUREAU LN PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5905

WUNSTELL, DURWIN J29755 HWY 75 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6107

Juror Count: 200

37MONTH5.99% 88MONTH7.99%

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LOUISIANA

KEEPING WATCH

Pediatric app developed in New Orleans helps clinic monitor fragile babies at home

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer

In 2024, at her 10-week prenatal checkup, Caitlin Bacon learned that her son had a congenital heart defect. When he was born in September, she knew they were going to have a long road ahead.

“The type of heart disease Samuel had requires multiple surgeries,” Bacon said. “On top of his stay in the NICU at the hospital.”

Bacon gave birth to twins Samuel and Anderson, at 37 weeks at Ochsner Baptist

At six days old, Samuel had his first heart surgery, the Norwood procedure, for hypoplastic left heart syndrome. This surgery lets the right side of a baby’s heart send blood with oxygen to their body Normally the heart’s left side takes care of this In a baby with this condition, the heart’s left side isn’t developed enough to pump the oxygenated blood.

The surgery was successful, but Samuel’s time in and out of the hospital was not over. After 44 days being monitored in the NICU, Samuel was permitted to go home with his family prior to his second surgery, the Glenn procedure.

However, he needed to be closely monitored before his next surgery scheduled for when he was 6 months old. The time between the first and second surgeries for this condition is a very fragile time in pediatric care

To monitor Samuel’s vital signs rather than the analog means of filling out a paper form and bringing it back to the hospital, Dr. Jessica Mouledoux developed something more efficient and easier for parents

“There are multi-center studies that demonstrate a big improvement

in morbidity and mortality if babies are monitored closely between their first and second surgery,” Mouledoux said.

Mouledoux, a pediatric cardiologist at Ochsner Children’s, led the

charge for the development of an app to help monitor a baby’s vitals at home in between surgeries.

Occasionally, Mouledoux said that

ä See APP, page 3X

Researchers work to limit debilitating damage from strokes

New drug being developed to help protect brain, improve recovery

BY LIVI STANFORD Hartford Courant (TNS)

HARTFORD Conn. With limited treatment options for stroke patients available, two University of Connecticut researchers are developing an experimental drug that is capable of protecting the brain and improving recovery after a cerebral vascular accident also known as a brain attack.

Rajkumar Verma, assistant professor at UConn Health who leads a research program for advancing innovative therapies for stroke, and Raman Bahal, associate professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical sciences at UConn, targeted a small regulatory biological molecule called microRNA, which becomes abnormally elevated after stroke and promotes inflammation, contributes to tissue loss and causes a decline in neurological function, the researchers told the Courant.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of noncoding RNAs, which do not translate into proteins, that play important roles in regulating gene expression, according to the National Institutes of Health and the researchers.

“We developed a next-generation inhibitor of this MiRNA to block its harmful effects,” the researchers said. “Unlike traditional experimental drugs that target only a single protein or molecule, this approach simultaneously suppresses multiple damaging processes by targeting several proteins. This reduces brain injury, inflammation, and the damage of the tissue while enhancing protective factors that support repair.”

Current therapies for stroke are limited and include clot-busting drugs and surgical clot removal which are only available to 10 to 15% of patients, Verma said.

“No FDA-approved drugs exist to protect the brain or aid recovery once damage begins,” Verma said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that stroke remains one of the “leading causes of long-term disability and death.”

Further, CDC statistics show that about 800,000 people in the United States experience a stroke each year with approximately 160,000 losing their lives.

Leading causes of stroke include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity and diabetes, according to the CDC. Verma said the experimental drug will help to reduce “the secondary damage that occurs after the primary injury” that takes place during the first couple hours of a stroke. Verma said the use of single proteins to target acute damage by stroke were not effective because stroke affects large number of proteins that may be contributing to brain damage.

Bahal said the research is critical because “we are exploring new chemistries and drug delivery technologies to counterattack this kind of devastating disease.

“It is very different from conventional treatments for stroke,” he said. “We are not using existing conventional small molecules. We want to make sure these treatments are effective but safe at the same time.”

Bahal said research has found that “a single dose of our next-generation miRNA

ä See DAMAGE, page

HEALTH MAKER

NFL legend brings opioid overdose education to LSU

BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer

This fall, pro football legend, Emmitt James Smith III, is kicking off his third year with Ready to Rescue an initiative to break down the stigma around opioid poisonings and educating others on how to save a life with Narcan Nasal Spray

In 2023, 1,130 people died in Louisiana as a result of opioids, according to data from the Louisiana Department of Health.

Opioids, a class of drug that includes prescription pain medicines such as oxycodone, illegal drugs such as heroin and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, have become a serious issue in Louisiana. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing the United States.

Narcan Nasal Spray, is a medication designed to rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid poisoning and is the standard of care for opioid overdose reversal. It is available over the counter and can be accessed at leading pharmacies and grocery stores nationwide, as well as online retailers.

The “Lay, Spray, Stay” method is three-step response for a suspected opioid overdose using naloxone, the active ingredient in Narcan Nasal Spray: n Lay: Lay the person having an overdose on their back.

n Spray: Use Narcan Nasal Spray to reverse the effects of an opioid emergency

n Stay: Dial 911 and stay with them until help arrives.

Smith, a Pensacola-native, is a former professional football running back who played in the National Football League for 15 seasons, primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. He is the league’s all-time leading rusher

So far, Smith and Release Recovery founder and CEO

Zac Clark have spoken at the University of Florida, Colorado Buffalos Clemson and Georgia to speak about opioid emergency preparedness On Sept 16, Smith hosted an event at the LSU campus to raise awareness about opioid emergency preparedness among the student body What is your personal connection to the opioid epidemic? My experience dealing with opioid emergency is losing a teammate to an overdose back in the late ’90s, as well as seeing my sister-in-law, who was dealing with Stage 4 cancer, have different types of episodes. She almost went into overdose shock as she was trying to recover and trying to get through some of the chemotherapy

I’ve had some relatives who were addicted to drugs in my past Seeing those folks and those things gave me another layer of motivation to help spread the word around the opioid epidemic itself. Life is such an important thing When you are losing people that are close to you, oftentimes you try to figure out a way to help with the situation. This is one of those ways that I’ve been able to leverage the platform I have. I have this passion and am blessed to be able to help others.

What is the future of ‘Ready to Rescue’?

It seems to me the program is gaining momentum I think that it should be a national program if we

can get some of the red tape out of the way and lower the stigma itself.

The stigma of drug overdose and opioid overdose is just a figment of someone’s imagination.

The overall drug overdose epidemic is bigger than just what we’re talking about The Ready to Rescue program and Narcan is just a way for citizens to protect themselves.

Having Narcan — it’s like having a fire extinguisher in a house. It’s like having a medicine cabinet in your house. In your medicine cabinet, you should add Narcan, so you can be ready if a crisis occurs.

At these universities, we talk about ways to recognize whether another person may be going through an

opioid overdose or opioid emergency

We talk about my cofounder Zack. We talk about his personal life experiences and my personal life experiences. When I talk about my life, these things that people may not know, people might connect with that.

I think having history or having a life experience that connect with someone else, gives them the ability to feel like they’re not in this fight by themselves.

What are the signs of an opioid emergency? There are a number of different signs. Obviously, an opioid overdose impacts one personal life totally different than the next.

There are certain signs — purple lips, eyes glazing over, being lethargic

things that catch you out of the norm. Just being aware of your loved ones is important. I don’t know what everyone’s situation is. One person could be sitting in the audience, hearing something that comes from myself or Zach that might help them go somewhere and get some help. They don’t have to suffer in silence, period. No one should have to suffer in silence. Whether you’re dealing with your own mental health, dealing with opioid overdose or dealing with dependence on drugs and things of that nature. Get help. Seek help. Trying to encourage someone to get help is all that we want to do.

Dermatologists recommend keeping your skin care routine simple

BY KENYA HUNTER AP health writer

There always seems to be someone on TikTok, You-

Tube or Instagram showing you a multistep skin care routine they swear by They might use expensive products like snail mucin or redlight therapy masks that allegedly hydrate your skin or help reduce fine lines. Is any of it necessary? Does any of it work?

“Social media is having such a huge influence on what we’re using in our skin and every individual is acting like their own clinician and trying to diagnose their own skin type and experiment with different regimens,” said Dr Kathleen Suozzi, a professor of dermatology at Yale School of Medicine. “And really the main overarching thing is that skin care regimens have become way overcomplicated.”

Some dermatologists say that many viral skin care products are unnecessary, even if they feel nice and while some cause little to no harm, other treatments can cause more problems than they fix.

Face skin The skin on our face is thinner than the skin on our bodies, and requires a gentler touch than other parts of the body

Everyone’s skin is different, too: The soaps or cleansers that work for someone with oily skin may not satisfy someone with dry skin.

Dermatologists say a skin care routine should start with three things — a gentle cleanser a moisturizer to hydrate the face and a sunscreen with at least SPF 30 Too many products can irritate sensitive skin and be redundant since many products share the same ingredients.

In all cases, protecting your face from the sun is key, dermatologists said “The truth of the matter is,

nine out of 10 skin care concerns on the face that people come to see me for are worsened by UV radiation from the sun,” said Dr Oyetewa Asempa, the director of the Skin of Color clinic at Baylor College of Medicine.

Many skin issues, like wrinkles, dark pigmentation after a rash and dark scarring from acne, are made worse by the sun, she said.

Retinol, exfoliation

Wrinkles happen. And your skin over time can look less plump and glowing.

Retinol creams and chemical exfoliants are sold with

the promise of keeping aging at bay Some are recommended by dermatologists — but there are also some exceptions. As we get older, our skin slows down its production of collagen, which keeps our skin bouncy and elastic. That leads to wrinkles. Retinoids and retinol creams can help, dermatologists said. But they recommend not using them until you are about 30 or older — any earlier could cause more problems,

like skin irritation.

Dark spots and dead skin are also common skin care frustrations. Exfoliation — removing dead skin can help. But dermatologists recommend avoiding products that use beads, salts and sugars that exfoliate fragile facial skin by physically removing it Instead, try chemical exfoliation with alpha-hydroxy acids or beta-hydroxy acids — but make sure you’re wearing sunscreen if you add either of these ingredients to your skin care regimen.

FDA-approved guidelines say chemical exfoliation is safe if certain ingredient levels are declared on retail products, but the requirements don’t apply to the more intense chemical peels applied by professionals, for example in salons.

Products to avoid

Influencers try to get you excited by trendy skin care ideas — and dermatologists want them to go away Dr Asempa points to one currently popular example: beef tallow also known as cow fat.

“I want you to leave the beef tallow with the cows,” she said.

Light therapy masks are

also wildly popular and also wildly overhyped. Dermatologists say they can be useful in some situations, depending on the color you use and the strength of the masks.

Dr Suozzi said that while research shows there may be some benefit to red-light therapy masks, which may help with collagen production, they are “not something that’s going to be transformative” for the skin. And to have any hope, you’d need to use them a lot: “You need to be using these devices a few times a week for them to have any benefit, if at all.”

More expensive skin products don’t necessarily work better Red-light therapy masks, snail mucin — slimy liquid that is touted as hydrating — and other products can be very expensive. But don’t let the price fool you, said Dr Jordan Lim, a dermatology professor at Emory University School of Medicine

“Price does not equal efficacy, and it does not equal better results,” Lim said. “A lot of the ingredients you’re seeing in a $6 cream are also in a $20 cream, also in that $300 cream that you see a celebrity using.”

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

The Louisiana Health section is focused on providing in-depth, personal accounts of health in the state.This section looks at medical innovations, health discoveries, state and national health statistics and reexamining tried and true methods on ways to live well.

Health editions will also profile people who are advancing health for the state of Louisiana. Do you have a health story? We want to hear from you. Email margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more.

EatFit LiveFit

EatFit App re-launch: Your pocket guide to healthierdining &everydaywellness

Wemakehundredsofdecisions aboutfoodeveryweek—where toeat,whattocook,which brandstobuy.Addinbusyschedules, andit’snowondersomanyofusfeel overwhelmedandarelookingforalittle extrasupport.

That’swheretheEatFitappcomesin. Thismobileapphasjustbeenre-launched, withfreshupdatesandresourcesdesigned tomakethoseeverydaydecisionsalittle easier.Freetodownload,theappisa practicalguideforlivingwellinreallife —withhealthierrestaurantfinds,recipes, brand-specificgroceryguidesandmore.

Thisrelaunchrepresentsnotjusta reboot,butarecommitmenttokeeping healthylivingaccessible,practicalandin stepwithreallife.Here’sarundownofthe features,howtogetinvolvedandhowto shareyourownexpertise!

DiningOutMadeEasier

Atitscore,theEatFitapphelpsyoufind restaurantsthatsupportyourwellness goals.Withover500partnersacross Louisiana,youcantypeinyourzipcodeto seewhichEatFitspotsareclosesttoyou.

Tapintoarestaurant’slisting,andyou’ll findthedishesontheirmenuthatmeet EatFitnutritionalcriteria:nowhitecarbs, noaddedsugar,minimalanimal-based saturatedfats,moderatesodiumandan emphasisonleanprotein,produceand whole-foodingredients.

Somedisheshavenutritionfactsand photosincluded(ourteamiscontinually addingmore),makingiteasiertoknow exactlywhattoexpectwhenyouorder. Ittakestheguessworkoutofdiningout, soyoucanfocusonenjoyingyourmeal withoutsacrificinghealth

EatFitRecipes

Theappalsofeatureshundredsof EatFitrecipes,rangingfromfamilyfriendlyweeknightmealsandsweet

treatstozero-proofcocktailsanddishes inspiredbylocalchefs.EachrecipeisEat Fit-approved,meaningitalignswithour nutritionalstandardswhilestilldelivering bold,satisfyingflavor.

Andhere’swhereitgetsfun:We’dlove tofeaturerecipesfromyou.Doyouhave ago-torecipethatalwaysearnsrave reviewsfromfamilyorfriends?Ifyou’re prettysurethatitalsomeetsEatFit guidelines,senditourway(withaphoto andpermissiontoshare)tonutrition@ ochsner.org.We’llreviewsubmissionsfor possibleinclusionintheapp,givingyou

credit(andlettingyouknow)if it’sadded.

SmartShopping

MadeSimpler Oneofthemostpractical resourceswithintheappisthe EatFitshoppingguide,abrandspecificlistthatgivesusonemore waytomakehealthierchoicesless complicated.Thinkofitasyour EatFitcheatsheet:avettedlist ofproductsacrosscategorieslike breads,condiments,dairyandsnacks thatalignwithEatFitstandards Thisway,youdon’thavetoguess whichmarinarasauceoryogurt islowinsugarandalsofreeof artificialsweeteners.It’slikehavinga dietitianinyourbackpocket ConnectWith WellnessResources

Morewaystoconnect: Theappalsoconnectsyouto Ochsner’s“FindaHealthProfessional” tool—linkingnotjusttophysicians, butalsodietitians,therapistsandother professionalswhocansupportyour health.You’llalsofindlinkstomyFueled Wellness+NutritionpodcastandWGNO TVsegments,wherewebreakdown topicsonallthingswellbeing. Plus,you can exploreEat Fit merchandise —bookslike Craftand TheEatFitCookbook,aswell as hats

MollyKimball,RD,CSSD,isaregistereddietitian withOchsnerHealthandfounderofOchsner’sEatFit nonprofitinitiative.Formorewellnesscontent,tuneinto Molly’spodcast,FUELEDWellness+Nutrition,andfollow @MollykimballRDand@EatFitOchsneronsocialmedia. Emailnutrition@ochsner.orgtoconnectwithMollyor scheduleaconsultwithherteam.

BY THENUMBERS

LA.OBESITy RATE

NEARS40%

ANDTOPS50% IN ONEPARISH

As of 2023, the prevalence of obesity in adults was 39.9%,with no significant differencesbetweenmen and women, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The state ranks fourth-highest in the nation for adult obesity,justbehind West Virginia (41.2%), Mississippi (40.1%) andArkansas (40%), CDCdatasays.

In data released this year,East Carroll Parish had the highest prevalence of obesity in adults overthe ageof18in 2022 while St.Tammanyand Lafayette parishes were tied for the lowest prevalence of adult obesity

In descending order,these parisheshad the highest prevalence of adult obesityin 2022 are: n East Carroll Parish with 51%, n St. LandryParish with 48%,

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some high-risk babies are not recommended to go home during the time in between surgeries.

The app, that is connected to the electronic medical record system already in place across all of Ochsner’shospitals,givesparents adaily questionnaire and instructions to readtheirchild’s vital signs at home. Questions include monitoring the newborn’sweight, temperature, heart rate, how many times has the child peed, any trouble breathing, food intake and more.

The app, which was developed in 2019 and launched in 2020, has also helped the clinic stay in contact with patients outside of New Orleans.

“The app allowed us to

and shirts representingEat Fit regions across Louisiana.

Recommendarestaurant:Another featurewelove:Youcanrecommenda restaurantyou’dliketoseejoinEatFit. Maybeit’syourfavoriteneighborhood caféorabeloveddinnerspot—with aquicktapintheapp,youcanhelpus expandournetworkofpartnersstatewide.

TheBottomLine

TheEatFitappisapractical,nocosttooltohelpmakewellnessmore approachable—whetheryou’rescanninga menu,planningyourgroceryrunorlooking fordinnerinspiration. Withtherecentrelaunch,theappis backasareliableresourcetoguideyour everydaywellness.Searchforthefree EatFitapp,downloaditandseehowit cansimplifytheeverydaydecisionsthat ultimatelyshapeourhealth.

n Bienville, Madison and Tensas parishes with 47%, n Avoyelles, Caddo, Evangeline, Iberville, RedRiver,Sabine, St. Helenaand Webster parishes with 46%, n Bossier,Claiborne, Franklin, Morehouse, Natchitoches and St. Mary parishes with 45%

Theseparishes had thelowest prevalence of adult obesityin2022 include, in ascending order: n St.Tammanyand Lafayette parishes with 35%, n Acadia,Ascension, Beauregard, Livingston and St. Charles parishes with 37%, n East Baton Rougeand Orleans parishes with 38% n Caldwell, Grant and Vermillionparishes with 39%

shift from having all inpatient visits to having some virtual visits and some inpatient,”Mouledoux said.

“When we launched during thepandemic, nobody wanted to leave their house, much less cometoadoctor.”

TheBacons live inRaceland —that’s about50miles from the hospitalSamuel was beingmonitored —and, with threeother children, including anewborntwin, the family neededthisapp to maintain someoftheirfamily routine.

“This was crucial for us to be abletoallow the babies to go home with their families and still keep aclose eye on them with daily monitoring via this app and keep the baby safe,” Mouledouxsaid. “Not havingtoconfinethem to ahospital and uproot their lives for months on end.”

Before parents leavethe hospital, Mia Lowe, aphysician assistant at Ochsner’s

Children’spediatric cardiology clinic, makes sure they have everythingthey need to monitor their child’s health.

“Most of the time, parents have been around us long enough to knowhow to use thetools to measureheart rateand blood pressure,” Lowe said. “I encourage parents to use the equipment while theyhave the team around them and help around them, because once they go home, it’s them and us via phone call.”

Before leaving the hospital, Ochsner provides families with all of the equipment needed to monitor their child’shealth: thermometers, feedingtubes, a pediatric scale, apulse oximeter and more.

It is Lowe’sjob to monitor andcheck theonlinedatabase constantly.She looks forred exclamation marks on incoming data from par-

entsthat could indicatea vital sign is wrong.

Mostly, Lowe and the nurses on the pediatric cardiology team arelooking for weight gain —animportant indicator thata baby is healthy, growingand ready for their next surgery

Thequestionnaire also has asection set for notes if parentsnotice anything off abouttheir equipment or have questions abouttheir child’scare.

While thesystem is currently working for Mouledoux and her team, she hopes to make the process even moreefficient for parents.

“In our adult population, thereare alot of devices that automatically enter data, as opposedtomanually entering data,” Mouledoux said. “My hope for the future, in general, for thecountry,is that thereare more infant adaptable devices that speak

Herfirst night home with Samuel, Bacon was overly cautiousand calledthe emergency line at the pediatric clinic.Samuel was breathing too fast for her liking.

directlytothe medicalrecord.”

Thatway,clinicscan get newborn vitals directly, without having to ask aparent to do these daily checks and filling out of forms.

“The expectation that you’re going home with this really unstable baby is terrifying,” Bacon said. “But theydid the most amazing job keeping in touch and with the app.” Samuel was fine, as was his breathing. And now,just shy of his first birthday and recovered from his second surgery,Samuel is bonding with his twin, Anderson, and his siblings Everett, who is 7, andVerawho is 12, at their homeinRaceland. Samuel andhis family await his third and final

Earpainistheprimarysymptomfora childwithanearinfection.Parentsof childrenwhocannotyettalkshould takenoteiftheyseethechildpulling ontheirearorrubbingatitwhile crying.Thiscouldsignalanearinfection.

Othersignsandsymptomstolookout forinclude:

Difficultysleeping:Earinfection paintendstobeworseatnight especiallywhenlyingdown,and candisturbachild’ssleep

Painrelievers

Over-the-counterpainmedicine,suchasibuprofen (MotrinorAdvil)oracetaminophen(Tylenol),can helprelievepainandfever.Bothkidsandadults canusethesemedications.It’simportanttonote thatnotallpainmedicationsaresafeforchildren, especiallybabies.Besurethattheappropriate dosageisgivenfortheirage.TheCentersforDisease Controlrecommendsfollowingtheseguidelines:

•Childrenyoungerthan6months:Onlygive acetaminophen

•Children6monthsorolder:Youcangive acetaminophenoribuprofen.

•Nevergiveaspirintochildrenbecauseitcan causeReye’ssyndrome.Reye’ssyndrome, althoughrare,isaseriousconditionthatcan harmtheliverandbrain.

Tips to soothe earaches andtreat ear infections

Earachesarecommoninyoungchildren.Approximatelytwo-thirds ofkidswillexperiencetheachinessofanearinfectionbeforeage3. Alsoknowninmedicalterminologyasacuteotitismedia,ear infectionsoccurwhenfluidcausedbybacteriaorvirusesbuildsupin theear,causingpainandinflammation.

Anyonecangetanearinfection,butchildrengetthemmoreoften thanadults.That’sbecausetheireustachiantubes—thenarrow, fluid-drainingcanalsthatconnectthemiddleeartothebackofthe nose—aremorehorizontalinchildrenthantheyareinadults.

Diagnosinganearinfectionofteninvolvesatriptothedoctor’soffice.Theproviderwilllookatthe eardrumusinganotoscope,amedicalinstrumentwithalightandmagnifyingsystemusedtovisually examinetheearcanalandeardrum.

Factorsthatcancontributetothelikelihoodofearinfectionsinclude:

Genetics:Aparent’sgeneticpredispositiontorecurringearinfectionscanincreasetheirchild’schancesof havingrecurringearinfections.

Drinkingwhilelyingdown:Childrenwhodrinkfromabottlewhilelyingflatontheirbacksaremore pronetoearinfectionsduetothegermsthatentertheirinnerear.

Asthma:Childrenwithasthmaaremoresusceptible,asarechildrenwhosufferfromallergicrhinitis (constantrunnynoseduetoallergies)andatopicdermatitis(eczema).

Exposuretoillnesses:Beingaroundothersickchildren(likeatdaycareorschool)canincreaseachild’srisk ofgettingsickanddevelopingearinfections.

Ifyouthinkyourchildhasanearinfection,thepediatricexpertsat OchsnerChildren’scanhelp.Visitochsner.org/childrens

thersome,buttherearethingsyoucandoathometohelpeasethediscomfort.

Eardrops

Over-the-counterear dropscanbehelpful whenusedproperly, butcautionshouldbe takeninpatientswho haveaprevioushistory ofearinfections,ear tubesorearsurgeries.If yourchildhasanouter earinfection,commonly knownasswimmer’s ear,usingfluid-drying eardropsmighthelp.

Hydrogenperoxide

Placeafewdropsofhydrogen peroxideintheaffectedearand letitsitforafewminutes.Ifthe peroxideiscold,warmingthe bottleunderwarmwaterhelps childrentoleratethedrops, whichcanbesoothingwhen slightlywarm.Tiltthehead afterafewminutesoverasink tolettheperoxidedrain.For youngchildren,itmaybeeasier tocradletheirheadinanadult’s lapwithatoweltoallowthe peroxideintheeartodrain.

HowdoIknowifmychild needs ear tubes?

Childrenwhosufferrecurringearinfectionsareusually candidatesforbilateraleartubes,alsoknownas tympanostomytubesorjusttubes

Thesetinytubesaresurgicallyinsertedintoachild’s eardrumtoimprovedrainageandventilationofthe middleear.

Theyareeffectiveatpreventingchronicearinfections

becauseoftheirabilitytoallowfluidtodrainfrom behindtheeardrum.Childrenwhoexperiencefrequent earinfectionsorhaveinfectionsthatdonotrespondto antibioticsareusuallyreferredtoanear,noseandthroat (ENT)specialisttobeevaluatedfortubes.

Ifyouthinkyourchildmaybenefitfromtubes,youcan speaktoyourpediatricianordiscussyouroptionswitha pediatricENTatOchsnerChildren’s.

Warmcompress Soakawashclothinwarm water,wringouttheexcess waterandthenholditagainst theearasawarmcompress forupto20minutes.

Adoctor’svisitmaynotbe necessaryiftheearpainis mild.Butiftheproblemdoes notgoawayorgetsworse, seeadoctor.

LOUISIANA

‘One of akind’

Inclusivecamp findspermanent home

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

When Leslie Wascom and Jessica Bonura founded Camp United in 2015, theywantedtocreate aspace that was inclusive, where students of all abilities could build self-confidence andfoster friendshipsduring the summer break

Fast-forward 15 years, and that’s exactly what they’vebuilt —and then some. After hostingsessions at variousfacilitiesthroughoutthe parish, Camp United, also known as Camp UP,isfinally getting apermanent home in Livingston Parish.

“I want our community andthe whole state of Louisiana, not just Livingston Parish,tobeable to come to apropertythatall kidscan enjoy,” Wascom said The two womenhave40yearsof combined experience.Wascom has taught adapted physical education for 20 years,and Bonura is aspecial education teacher who has taught in the area of disabilities/autismfor 20 years. In the beginning of Camp Up, Bonura and Wascom only offered summercamp sessions. Today, theyoffer several camps throughout the year andhave increased inthe number of participants.Each session can accommodate45to 60 campers for ages 3and up of anyabilityfor four hours. Parentshavethe optiontoenroll their childreninjust one day at camp, or up to one week. Every camp is different with varying themes, such as “Theatre Camp” or “JurassicCamp.”

Each camper is assigneda counselor,or“buddy,” and thecamp also has aparaprofessional on site. Mary Ballard of Denham Springs originally thoughtthe camp, like the majority of inclusive camps, was only forchildren. Thatwas notthe case, though, with Bonura and Wascom’smodel.

Ballard’s29-year-oldson,Christopher,who hasDownsyndrome, first attended Camp UP asaguest speaker in his early 20s. He has been going to the camp ever since then in various roles, such as acamper,speakerand peer role model.

“I send him sometimes as acamper and sometimes as ahelper,” Ballard said.

Trustand faithinCampUP

No matter the child’s strength or weakness,the goal of camp is to promote social integration and foster personal growth.

Camp UP hosts different indoor and outdoor activities, withone of the mostpopular being the water slides that thecamprents. Wascom described atime when ayoungcamper in awheelchair wanted to go down a water slide, and how,nomatter what, the counselors weregoingto make it happen.

“People will say,‘Well, howishegoing to get up on the water slide?’ Well, we’re goingtocarry him,” Wascom

said.

With the variety of activities, the goal for each one is to promoteteamwork, good sportsmanship and movement.The new, permanent site at 20990 La.42, Livingston, will havea zip line, walking trails, bonfire pits and more, all while being fully accessible.

“This will be unique and one of a kind,” Wascom said. “Wewant it to be handicap accessible for kids withand without disabilities.”

The timeline for building thesiteis notfinal, butWascomsaidthe camp is planningtohost acommunity day in November at the site, thankstoits community partners.

Having apermanentcamp location is exciting forthe Ballards, becauseit means having the possibilityofsending Christopher to overnight camp again, which is something he loved to attendbut arehardtofind. To send himtoone overnight camp,the family had to drive several hours to the west side of Louisiana. While Christopher loved the experience, he aged outat 19 years old.

“It’sbeen 10 years since he’sbeen to an overnight camp,”Ballard said of her son.“This is needed in the area.”

Tearsofjoy

In addition to the permanent location, Camp Up is alsoadding its veryfirst session in BatonRouge.

Next year,there will be two weeklong camps in Baker in June and July.Thisadditioncomes from combined effortsfrom thecamp and TheMagnolia Rose Foundation for Autism Acceptance, aBaton Rougebased foundation that hosts events forneurotypicaland neurodivergent children.

The foundation’sfounder Miranda Georgetown Riley, of Baker,took her two children, 6-year-old Magnolia and3-year-old DavidJames, to Camp UP for the first time this year During theexperience,she cried tears of joy.

“You havetohave so much trust andsomuchfaith,”she said.

Georgetown Riley said other than Camp UP,there is no fully inclusive campsinthe Greater Baton Rouge region.

“What she is doing, no one else is doing,”she said about Wascom.“Nobody hasa fully inclusivecamp.”

Seeing the success of Camp UP andworkingwithWascom inspired Georgetown Riley and her foundation to create the Baker sessions. Thetwo groups areholding acharity golf tournament in April2026 to raise funds for the new camps Consistencyisaplus

Before CampUP, Sarah Steudlein of Greenwell Springs was not aware of any type of campthat existed for childrenlike Luke, her12-year-old son with autism. When Steudlein brought Luke to Camp UP for the first time, the staff walked her through the day’s activities before leaving, which made ahuge difference to her as amother.

“It’sreally hard to leave our kids with special needs with newpeople,” shesaid.

Now,Steudlein andher soncount down the days until the next camp session. Luke’sfavorite parts of camp arehaving abuddy all day and playing in thewater Steudlein noted that apermanent location for Camp UP could help participants adjust to the environment better,asnew environments can be challenging for those with special needs She said having that consistency will be aplus “We’rehappy to go whereveritis,” Steudlein said.

Email Claire Grunewald at claire. grunewald@theadvocate.com.

Rediscovering poetryin dividedtimes

Last week, Ifound myself browsing the poetry shelves of a public library,agood place to be in difficult and divided times.

While there, Ipicked up and checked out three books.

The first was a770-page complete collection of Emily Dickinson’spoems, published nearly 70 years ago. It includes 1,775 poems she wrote, mostofwhich Ihad never read. However,I did open the book to page 116, to poem no. 254, which opens with one of my favorite stanzas ever:

”Hope” is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words—

And never stops —atall

The second book Ibrought homewith me was at least connected to my library mission, which wastotrack downaparticular quote by Robert Hayden, whoserved the role of our nation’sPoet Laureate from 19761978. The book is titled “The Poets Laureate Anthology” and was published in 2010.

This 762-page book includes poetry from Poet Laureates all the way back to Joseph Auslander, whoin1937, wasthe first poet to hold the position at the Library of Congress. The book includes seven of Auslander’spoems, starting with one called “Protest.”

Auslander wrote: Iwill not make asonnet from Each little private martyrdom; Nor out of love left dead with time Construe astanza or arhyme. We do not suffer to afford The searched for and the subtle word:

Thereistoo much that maynot be At the caprice of prosody Ihad to look up “prosody,” which Ilearned means“the patterns of rhythm and sound used in poetry.” Ihad never heard the wordbefore —isn’titbeautiful?

Auslander’sidea that art doesn’t have to come from pain rings true forme, even as it holds amirror uncomfortably close —especially in light of writing I’ve done after the house fire.

And that brings me back to Hayden, the poet Ihad gone to the library to find.

Aweek ago, Iknew very little about Hayden. I’mnow fascinated by his life. He wasborn in 1913 in Detroit, abandoned by his birth parents and taken in by neighbors whonamed him as their own. In 1976, he wasappointed as Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, apost that was eventually renamed as Poet Laureate. He wasthe first Black person to hold that position. The third book Ichecked out from the library is called “Collected Poems of Robert Hayden.”

ä See RISHER, page 2Y

ASK THE EXPERTS

A chemistry teacher’s approach to chocolate

STEM Chocolatier, mother handcraft artisan treats

BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer

Baton Rouge native and Louisiana State University alumna Maram Khalaf teaches chemistry at Woodlawn High School but she also runs a handcrafted artisan chocolate business, Chocolate Bijoux, with her mother, Aliaa Khalaf.

She runs the financial side of the businesses, while her mom is in charge of production.

Chocolate Bijoux specializes in jewel-like chocolates made with premium ingredients that can be ordered with specific prints and flavors for special events. Their 17 fillings are unique, including honeycomb crunch, pistachio mallow and cafe latte. The name “Chocolate Bijoux” stems from a professor’s comment that the chocolate looked like jewels, or “bijoux” in French. The Khalafs wanted to honor the French culture of Louisiana with the name.

How did you get into the chocolaterie business?

My mom loves chocolate, like, a lot She loves what we would consider foreign chocolate like from Europe. She doesn’t like American chocolate.

We would travel internationally a lot because we have family overseas, and she would always take a suitcase with her, like a handbag or carry on, and fill it up with chocolate for a stash. When Covid hit she ran out of her stash because we couldn’t travel. The chocolates in stores around here weren’t satisfying that sweet tooth.

We basically started to learn online how to do it. When Covid was over and we could go back to school, I was a student at LSU. We had an abundance of chocolate at home, so I would always take them with me to my meetings and conferences. I was studying biology and education and doing marine biology for undergrad research, while also having an Arabic minor I was getting to meet a lot of people. My professors would tell me that I should start a business with this.

I didn’t think I could do that because I literally had no idea how to

Q&A WITH MARAM KHALAF WOODLAWN HIGH SCHOOL CHEMISTRy TEACHER

Two months ago, Louisiana Inspired announced the 100-Item Challenge, asking readers to donate to their local food banks. The challenge was designed to help food banks across Louisiana prepare for summer, a time when donations typically decrease and need increases. Over the past two years in particular, the hunger crisis in Louisiana has grown increasingly dire. The challenge runs for 100 days, until Oct. 6. Thus far, readers have delivered tons of canned and bagged non-perishables to food banks across Louisiana. From Sunday school classes to exercise groups, readers took the

run a business. But I started doing Instagram stuff and posting what we do. Then I started making orders for friends and family, and it started growing by word of mouth, and it just took off.

How does your scientific background factor into your chocolate making?

The reason why I was able to manage that part was because I was still in school when I started the business. Everything that I was doing in my chemistry labs and my biology labs helped. I was taking a bunch of food science courses. I did most of my electives where it would relate to the business. Since I was able to do that, I had access to professors that were in food science that actually did this for a living.

I took our fillings to a lab, and I actually ran experiments on them. I wanted to make sure that the shelf life was good I wanted to see if there was crystallization. I wanted to see how humidity affected them. I ran multiple experiments. Can you tell me about the creative process?

My mom was always a big fan of artsy stuff, and so was I. I like to be real creative with what I do.

I didn’t want us to be stuck to one design. Most boxes of chocolate look the same. That was something that I didn’t want to stick with. I always want us to have room to grow So, something that we decided to do was color code the chocolates, and that allows us to play with the molds, different designs — marble, polka dot or ombre — and the way it looks. As long as the main color was the same, that was

chocolate together for their

the thing that we decided to do.

I always was a fan of cool looking stuff and abstract art, and so I thought it was a perfect way to merge those things together

What’s your favorite thing to create?

One thing that I love doing is the displays for events because it’s different every time.

The fact that I was in so many different colleges or departments within LSU helped. If I were not at LSU, this would not be successful at all. They opened up so many doors for Bijoux. The Manship School of Mass Communication reached out to the LSU Foundation, and they all wanted these products.

What does your family think about your success?

People love doing the party favors like a two-piece chocolate box. But also, a display means it’s more three dimensional. We can make it like a dome or a flower or a bouquet. I just enjoy doing that because it brings out that engineering architect side. I don’t really get to use that all the time in my daily life, so that’s my favorite. Playing with the colors and the shapes is also really fun. My mom handles more of what’s inside. So we fit each other well. All of our ingredients are fresh, top tier and made in house.

How has this business connected you and your mom to the community?

I think my family overseas are pretty proud. I went and visited them this summer, and that’s all they talked about. My parents did not grow up here, but I was born here. My brothers were born here. I like showing diversity within the community For example, being in different magazines or something like that, we don’t really see that very often. That opens up the door for other people that are like me, in the next generation, and they can also do something and be recognized for that. Support from people that I know here in the Muslim community, or even in education, means you can always do something and you can be recognized for it.

Rachel Piercey challenged one of her yoga groups where she regularly teaches at Christ The King Lutheran Church in Kenner. They all happily accepted and the food was delivered Sept 11.

It includes a poem called “Zinnias,” which means it has a head start to my heart because I adore zinnias. The hardy, self-seeding and colorful flower comes back year after year and put on a show Plus, they bloom all summer, even in Louisiana heat, well into fall. Even this week, the patch of zinnias I planted with seeds back in the spring were still beautiful outside what remains of the place we called home. Hayden’s poem was written for Mildred Harter It goes: Gala, holding on to their harvest and wine colors with what seems bravura persistence: We would scarcely present bouquets of them to Nureyev or Leontyne Price: Yet isn’t their hardy elan one way of exclaiming More More More as a gala performance ends? What started my quest for more information about Hayden was reading a quote from something he wrote in a piece called “Ramazani, Poetry of Mourning.” It’s prose rather than poetry, but the words resonated with me in light of the divisiveness and division that feels so pervasive in 2025. His words that grabbed my heart are: We must not be frightened or cajoled into accepting evil as deliverance from evil. We must go on struggling to be human... It is a struggle to be human and resist the urge to fight meanness with more meanness,

BELOW: Jamar,a Second Harvest employee in Elmwood,shows the weightofthe fooddonations fromMaryC.Villere’s book group, the Half-Dozen Book Club

LEFT: The BocageBook Clubcollected their 100 items for the second year in a row. From bottom left, Nancy Kora, Vicki Kellum, Lisa Gardner,WendyParrish, Juanita Clark, CathyLandry,Marilyn Percy,Jane Bermudez, and Dana McKearn. Notshown:Donna Andre, Donna Embree and WandaHargroder

RIGHT: Susan Scotton and the Episcopal Church Women challenged the Men of St Augustine’s to bringnonperishable food for the 100 Things Challenge. The women wonbut it wasvery close. Donations went to Second Harvesters.

FAITH & VALUES

Pipe organ sounds again after 800 years

Instrument the oldest of its kind in the Christian world

BY JULIA FRANKEL

Contributing writer

After 800 years of silence, a pipe organ that researchers say is the oldest in the Christian world roared back to life Tuesday, its ancient sound echoing through a monastery in Jerusalem’s Old City

Composed of original pipes from the 11th century, the instrument emitted a full, hearty sound as musician David Catalunya played a liturgical chant called Benedicamus Domino Flos Filius. The swell of music inside Saint Saviour’s Monastery mingled with church bells tolling in the distance.

Before unveiling the instrument Sept 9, Catalunya told a news conference that attendees were witnessing a grand development in the history of music.

“This organ was buried with the hope that one day it would play again,” he said. “And the day has arrived, nearly eight centuries later.”

From now on, the organ will be housed at the Terra Sancta museum in Jerusalem’s Old City just miles from the Bethlehem

church where it originally sounded.

Researchers believe the Crusaders brought the organ to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, in the 11th century during their period of rule over Jerusalem. After a century of use, the Crusaders buried it to protect it from invading Muslim armies.

There it stayed until 1906, when workers building a Franciscan hospice for pilgrims in Bethlehem discovered it in an ancient cemetery

Once full excavations were conducted, archaeologists had uncovered 222 bronze pipes, a set of bells and other objects hidden by the Crusaders.

“It was extremely moving to hear how some of these pipes came to life again after about 700 years under the earth and 800 years of silence,” said Koos van de Linde, organ expert who participated in the restoration. “The hope of the Crusaders who buried them — that the moment would come when they would sound again — was not in vain.”

A team of four researchers, directed by Catalunya, set out in 2019 to create a replica of the organ. But along the way, said Catalunya, they discovered that some of the pipes still function as they did hundreds of years ago.

Organ builder Winold van der Putten placed those original pipes alongside replicas he created based on ancient organ-making methods, some of which were illuminated by close study of the original pipes. The originals, making up about half of the organ, still bear guiding lines made by the original Ottoman craftsmen and engraved scrawls indicating musical notes.

Alvaro Torrente, director of the Instituto Complutense De Ciencias Musicales in Madrid — where Catalunya undertook the project compared the discovery to

“finding a living dinosaur, something that we never imagined we could encounter, suddenly made real before our eyes and ears.”

Researchers hope to finish restoring the entire organ and then create copies to be placed in churches across Europe and the world so its music is accessible to all.

“This is an amazing set of information that allows us to reconstruct the manufacturing process so that we can build pipes exactly as they were made” about a thousand years ago, said Catalunya.

Man paddles length of the Mississippi River

BY ESTAFANIA PINTO RUIZ

Contributing writer

Editor’s Note: This story, created by Estefanía Pinto Ruiz for the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, is part of the AP Storyshare.

Louisiana Inspired features solutions journalism stories that provide tangible evidence that positive change is happening in other places and in our own communities — solutions that can be adopted around the world.

The Mississippi River stretches for around 2,400 miles from central Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.

Every year, 30 to 50 paddlers attempt to travel its length Shawn Hamerlinck made the journey by kayak A teacher had planted the idea for the trip in his mind years ago, as a way to see ecosystems along the length of the Mississippi River He started on May 24 and paddled, on average, 12 to 14 hours per day For him, the undertaking was personal.

Others who do it try to use it for advocacy Five friends who took off on Sept. 1, are traveling under the banner of the Drift South Expedition and plan to do citizen science, education and fundraising along the way

Whatever the motivation, it’s sure to be an adventure.

“The Mississippi is an iconic river When anyone thinks of the United States, they think of the Mississippi because it has such a long, long history,” said John Sullivan, who paddled it in 2000 and runs a Facebook support group for other paddlers.

“And it’s kind of a wilderness.” Connection to nature

The river starts as a small stream flowing out of Lake Itasca in Minnesota. In those early stretches, Hamerlinck said, the water is pristine.

“You can see what you believe to be five feet down, and it’s actually 45 feet down. You can see giant fish — northern pike — and the water is so clear, so clean, and so beautiful that you could just take a cup and drink it,” said Hamerlinck As he went downstream and the river became more industrialized things changed drastically.

He had to be careful to avoid barges, and he couldn’t drink the water anymore

There was trash in it and unappetizing white foam. Near St. Louis, Missouri, he says he was almost afraid to light a match because of what looked like gasoline floating on the river

“You see steel and iron still sitting on the side, rusting away, and you ask, ‘Why did we do that?’ ” said Hamerlinck. “It makes you look at the environment and say, ‘We should have taken better care of you And I’m sorry And we shall do better than what you see.’”

Even so, he says he experienced plenty of wonder Encounters with wildlife — at times very intimate — were a highlight of the trip

A skunk sprayed him, nesting geese bit him, invasive carp hit him in the face, and he came across a black bear floating in the river

His scariest encounters were with alligators.

“The big alligators will swim about 20 yards from you, parallel to you, and they’ll stay right next to you for about half a mile,” said Hamerlinck. “What they’re trying to do is figure out who’s bigger — you in the kayak, or them.”

He slept in a tent or, when he could not find any dry land, on his kayak In addition to animal encounters, he says storms, difficult conditions, and the monotony of daily miles could wear on a paddler

“The biggest challenge, hands down, is not the animals or the storms or the distance. It’s the human mind,” said Hamerlinck Still, for him, disconnecting from electronics and the connection to nature made it all worth it.

“The best part of it was the sandbars that you would sit in,” he said. “I would stop there about half an hour before sunset, because that’s when the bugs would show up, after sunset. And you just stop, and you just look around you, and see that there is nature right next to you. It’s not like you go to a zoo.”

Paddling with a purpose

The Drift South Expedition, which pushed off on Sept. 1, came together

when five friends who’d all done the Appalachian Trail started thinking about another adventure to try One of them had been wanting to paddle the Mississippi River since he was 13 years old, and the others quickly signed on.

But they wanted to do more than paddle.

“What can we do on this expedition to be able to help us but also help the community the scientific community, the people who depend on the Mississippi River,” said Charles Lampman.

Lampman says he’s lost opportunities to work in conservation due to recent budget cuts, but he didn’t want to stop that work entirely

“And that’s when we landed on this idea of, well, we can do scientific research and we can advocate for science and show people that citizen science is possible,” he said.

Every 25 miles, they’ll test water quality, and every 50 miles, they’ll sample for microplastics They are working with a couple of post-doctoral researchers at Saint Louis University to process this data, which will eventually be publicly avail-

able.

Their journey is also an opportunity to fundraise and educate people about the river When they pull through cities, they plan to set up educational materials on their canoes and try to engage curious passersby about how microplastics can move throughout the ecosystem and other issues.

“Whenever we have this opportunity to slow down and engage with people, I think we’re all okay with

taking a little bit more time if that means some more authentic connections,” Lampman said.

Support leads to success

The five-person Drift South Expedition will travel with two canoes and a kayak working together to log the necessary miles and meet their advocacy goals.

On the eve of their departure, they were putting the finishing touches on their rigs, but they were also

checking in with each other

“We’ve all sat down and been like, “Okay, how is everyone feeling? What does everyone need from each other? How can we help?” said Morgan Skinner

“That teamwork and the team aspect of it was something that initially really attracted me to the project,” David Collison said. Paddling thousands of miles can be daunting, even with a team.

John Sullivan completed the full length of the Mississippi in 2000. “I had a goal of trying to paddle all the state-named rivers that flow to the Mississippi, and I’ve done them all except the Arkansas,” said Sullivan. “That one remains on my bucket list.” He founded the Facebook group Mississippi River Paddlers more than a decade ago as a way to support other paddlers’ journeys.

“I saw a lot of value in being able to communicate and reach out to other people who’ve done the river and ask questions if I run into a problem,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan keeps an informal list of paddlers. He says that in the past 12 years, several hundred people have paddled segments of the river Around 100 to 200 paddlers have completed the trip from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico.

Hamerlinck finished his journey in Burns Point, Louisiana on July 17, 55 days after launching. He’d weathered broken paddles, cracks in his kayak, and disembarked 33 pounds lighter than he started. Sometimes days passed without him seeing any people. When he did meet someone, he asked them to sign his kayak so they could accompany him for the rest of the journey

“If you look at the boat, it’s got signatures from every person I met along the way, and it’s packed full,” said Hamerlinck. He counted 119 signatures on his boat, and some of those people, he said, “tracked me all the way down and they’re still friends to this day It was really neat.”

SUNDAY, September 28, 2025

directions: Make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row Add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value All the words are in the Official SCRABBLE® Players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

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 — sideLiGHt: SIDE-lite: Incidental light or information. Average mark 46 words Time limit 60 minutes

Can you find 63 or more words in SIDELIGHT?

ken ken

instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner

instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday

directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

wuzzLes

Concise bidding

Today’s deal comes from the mind of South Florida’s Richard Pavlicek, a great American player, teacher, and writer It was played, according to Pavlicek, at a tournament in the North Pole. The players were all local residents, but from two different factions that did not always get along and did not speak the same language. South intended to bid two clubs, Stayman, but the opponents thought he bid seven clubs. The director was called and he ruled that seven clubs was the final contract. The fact that he was from the same faction as East-West had nothing to do with his ruling.

super Quiz

Take this Super Quiz to a

South won the opening heart lead with his 10 and led the 10 of diamonds to the jack and queen. He crossed back to his hand with a heart to the queen and led the 10 of spades to the jack and queen. So far, so good. South led a heart to his ace and led the nine of diamonds, winning the trick. The nine of spades was next, also winning the trick. Declarer now led a club to dummy’s nine and won that trick also! He cashed the ace of spades and the ace of diamonds with both opponents following suit to everything. He

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Express yourself with color, passion and kindness, and you’ll gain respect and make progress. Ease stress by facing situations before they have a chance to escalate.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Idle time can lead to fretting and create unnecessary stress, which can cause a shortsighted approach. Travel, learn and confront your demons, and the result will be clarity and a desire to move ahead.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23-Dec. 21) Feel your way forward. Question everything and hold yourself account-

ruffed dummy’s last spade with the king of clubs as both opponents under-ruffed. Dummy had to take the last two tricks with the ace-jack of clubs and the grand slam rolled home! A beauty!

Tannah Hirsch welcomes readers’ responses sent in care of this newspaper or to Tribune Content Agency inc., 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, Ny 14207. E-mail responses may be sent to gorenbridge@ aol.com. © 2025 Tribune Content Agency

able to tighten your budget and simplify your lifestyle Making the right choices will determine your level of success.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Check your ego at the door An honest approach to whatever you might like to pursue will help you deal with any nonsense.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Budget for the improvements you want to make. Home improvements, investing more time and effort to achieve what brings you happiness and speaking up for yourself will encourage positive change.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Take control. A financial situation requires speed and accuracy to come out on top. Feeling good about how you look will give you the strength and courage to pursue your dreams.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Deal with situations and partnerships that need a positive adjustment. Create a to-do list, and you’ll feel accomplished when you complete your tasks.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Treat yourself to something that makes you happy or feel good about yourself. Clear a space to explore new

possibilities. A meditation corner can help ease stress.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Craving change and making it happen are not the same. Find something that builds your enthusiasm and encourages you to incorporate what you love doing into a lucrative pursuit.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Keep your plans to yourself until they are ready Your energy is better spent doing than defending what you want to pursue.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Avoid a scene by refusing to engage in an unnec-

essary argument. Don’t waste time on something that doesn’t bring you happiness Take responsibility for yourself and your life.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Put your emotions aside. Be practical and use common sense when dealing with others. Put your energy to good use by focusing on where you can make a difference.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by NEA, inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Answers to puzzles

1. Igloo. 2. Hello. 3. Tango.4.Piano. 5. Tokyo 6. Patio. 7. Bingo. 8. Banjo.9.Lasso. 10. Dingo. 11. Ratio. 12.Cameo. 13. Gecko. 14. Torso. 15. Ditto.

SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?

Ilovecats because Ienjoy my home,and little by little, theybecome itsvisible soul. —Jean Cocteau

Crossword Answers