The Times-Picayune 09-28-2025

umcno.org/10years

JamesChecchio, namednextarchbishop of NewOrleans,bringsbroad experience to lead thearchdiocese into itsnextera

‘I HAVE GREAT TRUSTINGOD’

The Most Rev. James F. Checchio, left, thanks Archbishop of NewOrleans GregoryAymond duringChecchio’s introduction as the next archbishoponWednesday

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL |Staff writer

The bishop from NewJerseybegan his first dayinNew Orleans —the day he would be introduced as thecity’sarchbishop in waiting —with an early morning stroll to church.

Just afew blocksfrom theArchdiocese of New Orleansheadquarters on Walmsley Avenue,the Rev.PatrickCarr was holding his 7a.m. WednesdayMass at St.Rita Catholic Church.

The Most Rev. James Checchio, who had arrived in thecity only the day before from Metuchen, New Jersey, poked his head in.

“I was so pleasedtosee so manypeople,” said Checchio. “Different ages and diverse backgrounds, people dressed in suitsgoingtowork,young people.”

It was Checchio’sfirst stop during awhirlwind visit to his new home. By the endofthe day, he had been introduced toNew Orleansasthe newly named coadjutorarchbishop in aceremony at Notre Dame Seminary.Hehad toured St. Catherine of Siena in Metairie and posed for apicture with hundreds of smilingschoolchildren. He had walked the halls of St.Augustine High School. He met with asurvivor of clergy sexualabuse, held aprayer service for area priests,and then, at day’s end, stopped intoYeOlde College Inn for dinner

Those who know Checchio, 59, theNew Jersey native named by PopeLeo XIV to succeed Archbishop Gregory Aymond when he retires in the coming months, say that kindofhands-on,highenergy approach is whatNew Orleans’ Roman Catholics can expectfrom theirnew leader

ä See CHECCHIO, page 4A

The

More

couldhelp NewOrleans combat heat island effect

Second in aseries BY

SAM KARLIN |Staff writer

Thevolunteers fannedout across New Orleans while the sun beat downand the temperature kept rising. Sensors attached to their cars captured the stifling heat on aJuly afternoon, transmitting data back to the group’shomebase in Hollygrove-Dixon. There, Raymond Sweet served as alieutenant of sorts.Hefieldedcalls every fewminutes as drivers asked where to go next.His tablewas strewn with printouts of routes, and he flipped between a barrage of incoming texts and asheet of names. Thetemperature hadreached 98 degrees. Awet bulb thermometer rested on atripod out back, measuring how humidity wasmaking the heat worse. It clocked 83.5 degrees —dangerouslyhigh and becoming unsafefor people to spend timeoutside. The brutally hotday was perfect fortheir experiment.

Sweet and histeam hoped their results would help capture how extremeheat bakes the city

Restoration of dignity

BY HALEYMILLER |Staff writer

In 1968, aLouisiana prison guard unearthed over 100 skeletons and sacred objects at agrave site in West Feliciana Parish, exposing them to the light forthe first timeincenturies. He kept the items, precious pieces of handmade Tunica pottery and traded European goods. Those could be sold. He tossed the remains into the Mississippi River Outof1.5 tonsofrecovered materialsfrom the grave robbing, “thehumanremains could fit into ashoebox,” said Earl Barbry Jr the historic preservation officer forthe Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana. “The guy that desecrated the graves really

Hundreds of Native American remainspulledfromLa. graves stillnot returned to tribes ä See DIGNITY, page 10A ä See TREES, page 5A

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

and

A person stands Saturday outside a U.S.

Trump said Saturday that he will send troops to the city

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 “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

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.

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

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.

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.”

MONDAY,OCTOBER13, 2025

“You will see him everywhere,” said Justin Fleetwood, president of Holy Cross School in Gentilly, who spent several years at a school in the Diocese of Metuchen, where Checchio has spent the past decade as bishop “He did every graduation, he prided himself on getting to know all the priests, deacons and other brothers and nuns.”

In his new position, Checchio will need that energy He takes over a local church that has been beset by the long-running clergy abuse crisis. There’s the bankruptcy case that scandal spawned, which is expected to cost the church more than $200 million and that Aymond hopes to resolve before handing over the reins There are aging parishes with century-old churches and dwindling funds for upkeep, a needed renovation of St. Louis Cathedral, and the public and civic duties — along with the religious ones required of an archbishop in a city like New Orleans, where religion remains ingrained in the culture.

There are also, of course, some parishes that are growing, thousands of Catholic schoolchildren to educate and holidays and feast days to celebrate across the nation’s second-oldest diocese, with its 500,000 faithful and 104 parishes.

In an interview Wednesday, Checchio was remarkably candid about the task ahead of him, and how difficult it has been to process the sudden turn his vocation has taken. He learned of his appointment less than two weeks ago.

“My first thought was of what I’d be leaving, everything I love,” he said. “So was I happy? No.”

“But I am pleased to come,” he added. “And I know it is going to be fine Something new is tough. But I have great trust in God. And the people here are wonderful.”

An experienced leader

A firm date hasn’t been set for when Checchio will take over from Aymond, who was born and raised in New Orleans before returning to the city as its archbishop.

Like most of the New Orleans archbishops from the past century, who were not from New Orleans, Checchio will bring an outsider’s perspective to the job. He’ll also bring extensive academic and professional credentials. He has an MBA from LaSalle University and a doctorate in canon law from St. Thomas Aquinas University in Rome. He spent a decade running the Pontifical North American College in Rome, a prestigious seminary, and served as the bishop of Metuchen, a prosperous bedroom community 30 miles south of New York City, for the past nine years.

Those who know him say his experience will serve him well. He is a skilled administrator and masterful fundraiser said the Rev Patrick Broussard, chaplain at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, who was a student at the North American College in Rome when Checchio was rector “He is also humble, likable and personable,” Broussard said. “He sort of has it all.”

He’s an early riser and tries to walk three miles every morning. In his spare time, he likes to read and watch sports on TV. In New Jersey he would unwind on visits to the Jersey Shore with his family

In his remarks last week, Checchio made football jokes, referring to his time several years ago as chaplain of the Philadelphia Eagles and holding up a Saints football signed by the team that was given to him by Gayle Benson. He also vowed to work to grow the local church and asked for the prayers of his new community

“I pledge to you, the church of New Orleans, my love and my daily prayers as we labor together to build up this historical portion of the people of God,” he said.

‘I grew to love it’

James F. Checchio III was born in Camden, New Jersey, in 1966 and grew up in a nearby suburb with two older sisters and a younger brother He went to the parish grammar school, where his mom volunteered in the cafeteria. His dad was a stockbroker who helped out with the parish Men’s Club.

“Anything they were doing at the parish hall, getting the tables out, setting the chairs up, we’d be on the cleanup crew you know us kids,” Checchio said in the interview last week “It was just part of, part of what you did, you know?” Checchio was a good student at Paul VI High School, the private, coed high school he attended in nearby Haddonfield. He discerned his vocation in college, while a student at the University of Scranton, and said his parents were supportive. His mom’s sister was a cloistered nun in upstate New York and he had a cousin in the priesthood He was ordained in 1992 and

spent several years studying in Rome, returning to his hometown Diocese of Camden to work as a parish priest and, later, administrator In the early 2000s, he was again sent to Rome and, after just two years, was promoted to the prestigious position of rector of the North American College. He loved it, he says, but was grateful in 2016 when Pope Francis granted his request to return home. He thought he’d be going back to Camden, near his mother, now 88, and siblings, and had a nice sabbatical all planned out. Instead, he was appointed to be the new Bishop of Metuchen about 75 miles away

“I grew to love it,” he said. “After so many years in Rome, my mom felt like I was in her backyard. I’d be able to go home on Sundays for dinner and drive back in the next morning.”

Then, on Sept. 17, Checchio got a call. He was being reassigned and would be leaving New Jersey to become the new archbishop in New Orleans. He said he was stunned and does not know how he was chosen for the position.

Confronting clergy abuse

Checchio will assume his new role as coadjutor archbishop in mid-November It’s a position, not uncommon in the church, that

will place him alongside Aymond, serving for an undetermined transitional period as he learns the ropes.

Aymond reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 last November but asked then-Pope Francis to allow him to stay on until the bankruptcy is resolved. With the case now winding down, Aymond said last week he will be tying up those many loose ends while Checchio performs more of the publicfacing and pastoral duties in the parish.

Though he will be focused on the future of the archdiocese, Checchio acknowledged that the painful legacy of the clergy abuse crisis is something that will be ever-present. A generation younger than Aymond, Checchio came of age in a church where clergy sex abuse was more openly discussed and dealt with than in decades past.

During his years in Metuchen, he removed several priests from ministry after allegations of abuse surfaced, according to media reports. And he apologized to survivors and their families for the cover-up of one of the most notorious abusers in his area, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the first bishop of Metuchen in the early 1980s.

Checchio declined to discuss his conversation last week with a local abuse survivor but said the brief meeting was “moving, very moving.”

Of the crisis more generally, he said, “It is a horrible part of our history and one that needs attention and work.”

ARCHDIOCESE OF NEW ORLEANS

FOUNDED: 1793

NUMBER OF PARISHES: 104

LED BY: Archbishop Gregory Aymond

ROMAN CATHOLICS SERVED: 500,000

CATHOLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS: 31,843 (as of 2023)

Focus on the schools

Checchio grew up in the post-Vatican II church, which was moving away from old traditions like the Latin Mass and was focused more on social justice and ecumenism. By the time he was a college student in the mid-1980s, Pope John Paul II was reviving more conservative expressions of the faith that some felt had been lost in the 1960s and 1970s Checchio said elements of both approaches are present in his ministry and understanding of his faith. The motto he chose upon his ordination, which is customary for Roman Catholic bishops is “Reconciliamini Deo,” a Latin phrase that means “Be reconciled with God,” which comes from a passage in the New Testament in which St. Paul is writing to the Christians in Corinth.

Studying, then working, in Rome, he knew well both Pope Benedict, a doctrinaire conservative, and Pope Francis, who stressed ecology and care for migrants and the poor He admired both, he said, as well as John Paul II and, now, Pope Leo XIV

“John Paul was a pastor to the world. Francis had such humanness. Benedict was so thoughtful,” he said. “I try to take something from all of them.”

His focus in the short term will be growing and strengthening the local church. He believes Catholic schools play an important role in that work and was thrilled to learn that the Archdiocese of New Orleans has more than 65 Catholic elementary and high schools.

“The schools we visited were so impressive,” he said. “And the kids, well, young people are just so wonderful. Being with them is so uplifting.” In Metuchen, he was very involved in the Catholic schools and worked hard to keep them financially viable, according to retired Catholic Schools Superintendent Ellen Ayoub, who worked with him for several years.

“From the minute he arrived we knew he would be someone interested in the people and in being with the people of God,” she said. Ayoub also watched him navigate the painful process of closing an older school that was struggling under declining enrollment and financial pressures.

“Certainly some people were not happy,” she said. “But he really cared and tried. He would visit two parishes every week. The people of this diocese really love him.”

Checchio said he is hopeful he will develop that kind of bond with the people of New Orleans.

“This archdiocese does immeasurably good for the world. I know it,” he said. “I’m anxious to see all the beautiful things we are doing.”

Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com.

Continued from page 1A

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

Trees have long offered a panacea to extreme heat. But New Orleans is struggling to maintain a

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 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 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 HollygroveDixon has been a maddening fight. Neighbors balked at the planting of tall, shadeproducing 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 neighbor-

hood, 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

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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 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 40,000-tree 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

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.

Comparison of tree canopies

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 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 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

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.

There’snothing like gettingout on thewater

alongthe Northshore,where Lake Pontchartrain andits surroundingwaterways offer endless opportunitiesfor adventureand relaxation

Whetheryou’reseeking thethrillofdiscovery of 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 StateParkinMadisonville both aregreatspots 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-maintainedcampsites andRVsites are availablefor longer visits

Despite itsname, this body of waterisactually 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 fishing charters operateout of Slidell, 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 fresh ingredients 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

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 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.”

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

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.

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 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

Interior designer Amanda Schott,who ledmuch of thecreativevision, said thegoalfor Alluviawas to make everyspace,fromthe clubhousetothe kitchen islands, feel intentional, inviting andbuilt to last Theclubhouse anchorsthe property,serving as agathering spot for friendsand family,aswellasa change of sceneryfor professionalswho areworking from home.Intentional lighting andlarge windows that overlook thepoolarea create acalmatmosphere that lendsitselftobothproductivityand fun. “The lifestyleloungeinthe clubhousecan be used by individual residentsorasacollaborative space,” Schott said.“We have coffee andcomputers available. Wewantedittohavea coffee-shopfeeling to it.It’s very open-ended in termsofhow it canbeused. We wanted residentstobeabletodefine howtheywant to usethe space.

Theclubhouse also features an expansivefitness area that is idealfor everyone from intenseworkout enthusiaststothose lookingtorefresh theirbodies with more low-keyexercises.Schottsaidthe 24/7 Fit &LiftCenterhas top-tier Precor equipment, aTRX System andvarious weights, whilethe Freeform Studio hasPilates-style barres,yogamatsand a Reformermachine.

“There’ssomething foreveryone,”Schottsaid. “Wewantedthisspace to feel approachable notintimidating. Thesameistruefor theresort-styleswimming pool that features soakingand tanningledgeswith sunken ledgeloungers. Schott said this means residents canenjoy adip in thewater without becoming totallyimmersed. Poolside cabanasare availabletobereserved, andanoutdoor grilling stationisperfect for enjoying ameal.

“The pool area hasdifferenttypes of groupseating so people canrelax there, even if it’s theoffseason or people just want to be outsidewithout necessarily beinginthe pool,” Schott said.“Thereare so many greatareas fordiningand lounging.It’sa very relaxedvibe.

Theindividualhomes at Alluviabalance open layoutswithpractical,moderntouches.Every oneandtwo-bedroom apartmenthomeincludes10-foot ceilings,luxuryplank flooringand smart home technology.The gourmetchef-inspiredkitchens featureLunaPearl granitecountertops,undercabinetlighting, USBoutlets,a spacious pantry built-in microwave, self-cleaningrange andhighefficiency refrigerator with icemaker Schott said theoverall kitchendesigns were made with much more than cookinginmind.

“The islandsare very large. In some units, the islandsdoubleasadiningspace.Other floor plans have theislandaswellasa diningroom,”she said “Wereallythought abouthow thekitchen is the center of thehomefor many people andhow we couldmaximizethatspace forthem. Theislands aredesignedtobemultifunctional.Wecould envision them beingusedasa gaming or snacking area for gatherings, or agreat desk spacefor work or studying.” In thebathrooms,doublesinkvanities, frameless glassshowers andseparatesoaking tubs make the spacefeellikeprivate sparetreats “Wereallymaximized thespace by having thetwo sinksinthe bathrooms,”Schottsaid. “The crushed marble countertopsinthe bathroomsreallymake a bold statementthatbringsina lotofcolor andclass.”

didn’tfind any monetary value, so he just discarded the remains.”

There are more than 1,700 bodies and parts of bodies that, likethe Tunica-Biloxi’s ancestors, were disturbed and disinterred by archaeologists,government officials and collectors in Louisiana across the 19th and 20th centuries. Many landed in the collections of universities, museums andgovernment agencies.

But over the past fewdecades, there has been growingrecognition amongarchaeologists and the public that humanremains buried by tribes should not be artifacts or subjects of scientific study,and must be returned to their descendants. The paradigm shift ledtothe Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA.

“There is this belief among some archaeologists in the past, especially,that was like, ‘Itwas aproperty law, said Karla Oesch, collections manager at the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism. “But tribal members think of it like ahuman rights law.When you’re excavating these materials,it’snot items. That’sanindividual.”

In 1990, Congress passed NAGPRA, thanks in no small parttothe Tunica-Biloxi, whointhe 1980sfoughtin Louisiana courts for the possession of the “grave goods” dug up in West Feliciana.

Their legal victory provided precedent for the sweeping law,which formally protected remains and funerary objects of Indigenous peoples and mandated institutions return them to lineal descendants and tribes.

Butnearly35years into NAGPRA —aprocess at one time expected to take only10 years —repatriation is far from complete and riddled with inefficiencies.

Hundreds of skeletons and fragments of skeletons dug up in Louisiana remaininthe stewardship of universities, museums and otheragencies as limited funding, confusion over the law and at times reluctance to relinquish remains all slow progress.

Even measuring the law’s successhas proved imperfect. Several institutions with Louisiana remains said the federal databases meant to keep trackoftheir holdings don’taccurately reflect their status. For many tribes, completion of NAGPRA is amatter of urgency.Repatriation is one step toward restoration of thedignity that was defiled.

“It’sasorrow in that it was taken out of the ground,” Barbry said, “but relief that it’scome back to be housed hereand taken care of and honored.”

‘Knockingoverthe crosses’ Under NAGPRA,human remains encompass everything from asingle tooth to an entire skeleton,aswell as preserved soft tissues. Lineal descendants, Indigenous nations and Native Hawaiian

organizationsare entitled to request the remains.

Though humanremains are amajor focus of NAGPRA, thelaw also mandates the return of certaincultural objects that havebeen excavated, such as funerary items tied to atribe’sdeath rites. Around 17% of these have not been made eligible for return, accordingtonational NAGPRA data.

“I was aguide in amuseum for years,” Barbry said.

“I would explain to school groups,the equivalent would be someone running into, if you’re Catholic, aCatholic cemetery, knocking overthe crosses, popping open the casketsand just taking the jewelry,the clothing, whatever mementos buried with your relatives, andcoming back, putting it on the shelf for thepublic to view.”

Longer than estimated In early discussions around NAGPRA, theCongressional Budget Office estimated how long it mighttakefor the country’s institutions torepatriate the remains of tribal ancestors and cultural items

Maybe 10 years, they thought, according to aSenate Committee of Indian Affairs oversight hearingin February 2022.

Instead, nearly 35 years have elapsed,and around 42% of the remainsidentifiedare still pending, perthe most recent data releasedby theNational ParkService

While large and well-funded institutions regularly employ NAGPRAcoordinators, smaller organizations —as well as those who do not prioritize repatriation efforts— may not. That leaves existing employees,who oftenhave other job responsibilities, stretchedthin.

“The idea of, first of all, goingthrough an entire facility’sworth of stuff, was very daunting,” Oesch said.

“For someplaces, it’salack of priority and also alack of funding for it.”

Twocases of lack of funding can be found in northeast Louisiana,where one station archaeologist is responsible for NAGPRAfor both the University ofLouisiana at Monroeand the Poverty PointWorld HeritageSite. According to National Park Serviceinventories, remains representing at least 125 people from Louisiana are held

between thetwo collections

DianaGreenlee handles repatriation for both institutions, despite notreceiving dedicated funding toward NAGPRA, she said Sheworks with avolunteer bioarchaeologist to try to determine the origin of the remains, which were mostly obtained in the1970s,and consult with tribesabout return.

“I suppose that having a dedicated personwould be great, but the finances are just notthere,” Greenlee said.

Amisleadingpicture

Furthercomplicating NAGPRA is out-of-date federal data, those familiar with the law said.

Severalinstitutionscontacted for this storysaid the federaldatabase does not accurately reflect howmany remains theystill hold and what efforts they’vemade to return them.

According to National Park Service inventories the Yale PeabodyMuseum in New Haven, Connecticut, holds remains from Louisiana representing at least 110 people.

But aYale spokesperson said that number is wrong.

“While previous NAGPRA reports anddatabases indicate that thePeabody has over 100ancestors from Louisiana within itscare, these numbers are incorrect due to an error made in the 1970s,” astatement fromthe museum said. “The museum has one third of that within its stewardship.”

The same apparent inconsistencies with NAGPRA numbersexist in Louisiana institutions.

The federalinventories show theLouisiana DepartmentofCulture, Recreation and Tourismhas remains of at least 20 people in its stewardship. Oeschsaid the true number is closer to130.

She said changes to NAGPRAthattook effect in 2024, whichimposed stricter deadlines, eliminated the “culturally unidentifiable” category for humanremains andrequired greater reliance on tribalknowledge in the repatriationprocess. That means thedatabases will need time to “catch up” with shifting numbers.

“2024 is what really closed that loophole of being able

to say stuff was culturally unidentifiable, which is why nowwehavetogive an affiliation to this stuff, which has to comeafter the consultation,”Oesch said about the department’scurrent collections. “We’ve consulted on all of this material.”

The National Park Service, which oversees NAGPRA, declinedaninterview.In response to an emailasking about the discrepancies between institutionaland federal tallies,the public affairs officesaidthe numbers are updated “in real time”as institutions report new data. Bittersweethomecoming

On arecent morningin September,Barbrypassed shelves of repatriated tribal objectsina walk-in cold storagevault, kept at asafeand

“At the time, there was somediscussion of how to best preserve and respect the artifacts,” Barbry said. “In some cases,itwas like do we reinter? Or do you hold out to educate?”

dehumidified 65 degrees.

Theitems,some predating the arrival of Christopher Columbus in theAmericas, show the tribe’seducational approach as they continue to receive repatriated materials. Visitors to theTunicaBiloxi Cultural and Educational Resources Center can view through panes of glass the rows of delicate pottery and tools, even gun barrels, sitting inside thestorage room

TheTunica-Biloxi set their sights on improving awareness of the issue of grave desecration, as well as promoting their tribal history They operate amuseum and hold school tours, bringing kids behind the scenes of their state-of-the-art preservation lab that processes the objects of the West Feliciana grave site. They monitor the Federal Register forany notices about new remains or artifactsdiscoveredinthe collections of museums and universities. They choose to rebury theirhuman remains in a private ceremony,laying the ancestors to rest without further disturbance.

Email HaleyMillerat haley.miller@theadvocate. com.

“Mymother died beforeI wasa doctor,”saidDr. Mary A. Hobbs-Maluccio,a surgical oncologist at LCMC Health’s East JeffersonGeneral Hospital (EJGH).“It waseye-openingfor me to recognizehow helpless youcan feel.You don’t know what questions to ask, andyou don’t know wheretoturn.

After what Hobbs-Maluccio experiencedduring hermother’sillness,she resolved to make the journey easier for patients goingthrough similar circumstances. Shenow serves as MedicalDirector of LCMC Health’s Rare Cancer Program, basedat EJGH.The programconsistsofamultidisciplinary networkofphysiciansand medicalprofessionals who collaboratetodiagnose, treat, andsupport patients with uncommon cancersacrossthe Gulf South.

TheRareCancerProgram—now oneofthe largest andmostfar-reachinginthe United States—has rootsdatingbacktothe 1990s. It beganwitha focus on neuroendocrine cancerswithagroup of doctors from several NewOrleans area hospitalswho would meet afterhours to troubleshoottheir most enigmaticcases.Fromthis, theNew OrleansLouisiana Neuroendocrine TumorSpecialists (NOLANETS) programwas born

usingradioactive tracerstohelpsurgeonsaccurately identify andremovediseasedtissue. Clinicaltrialsalsoplaya critical role in the program, providingaccesstopotentially lifesaving technologies andtherapiesthatmight otherwisebe outofreach for patients with rare cancers.

“Clinicaltrialsallow us access to noveltreatment optionsand technology,” said Hobbs-Maluccio “Whenpeoplehear‘clinicaltrials,’theyoften think of experimentation. Butmostofwhatwedoinvolves trials that arejustshy of beingFDA-approved, so they’realready provingtobeeffective.” LCMC Health’s Rare Cancer Programhas been abeaconofhopefor patients acrossthe South. The programservesapproximately 2,800patientsa year throughout asix-state radius.Thankstorecent advancements in telehealth,EJGHphysicianscan nowcollaborate with doctorsinother cities to provide continuity of care closer to home

“Rarecancerprogramslikeoursare focusedon raisingthe floor of standardsofcarefor patients,” Hobbs-Maluccio said.“When youthinkofbreast, colon, lung,orprostatecancer, thestandards for thosecancers arereallywellestablished,sopatients arelessvulnerable.

“Wewould meet on Tuesdaynightsatmytransplantoffice andput theX-raysuponthe wall,” said Dr.JohnBoudreaux,a critical care surgeonwho stillservesonthe Rare Cancer team.“We hadour ownmulti-specialtytumor board. Throughour discussions, we’d decide on apathforward forthe patient—whetheritbea newdrug, aclinicaltrial an operation, etc. When Hurricane Katrinadisplaced thousandsof NewOrleaniansin2005, planstoopenasubspecialty clinichad to be adjusted.“We endeduprenting a spaceinBaton Rougeand startedseeingpatients there,”Boudreaux said.“Twodaysa week,we’dhost amulti-specialty clinic. Allofour clinic staff drove in,too.Patients were able to hear from themedical side,the surgical side,the research side,and the nutritionside. It wasaone-stopshop. We didthat for aboutayearinBaton Rouge.” Theseearly efforts became theblueprint forwhat is nowThe Rare Cancer Programthatservesthe communitytoday.The programhas always prioritizedcoordinated,patient-centered care—ensuring that when apatientcomes to town for procedures or testing, appointments canbescheduled efficiently andcomprehensively Therange of cancersthe Rare Cancer Program treatsisextensive andincludesneuroendocrine tumors,pancreatic, sarcoma, primaryand secondary livercancer, andadrenal cortical carcinoma. Stateof-the-art treatmentsare available, such as Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT),which uses peptides to target tumors,bindtotheir receptors, anddeliver radiationdirectlytocancerous cells. Probe-guided surgeryisanother advanced option

Oneofthe greatestchallengesofhavinga rare cancer is that thereoften isn’tanestablished standard of care—the accepted treatmentapproachbased on research,clinicalguidelines, andbestpractices.Withoutthisfoundation, treatmentisoften fragmented

“The more unusualthe diagnosis, thelesslikely thereare standards—andtherefore,peopleare managedina varietyofways,”Hobbs-Maluccio continued. “Manytimes,peopleexperienceworse outcomes simply becausetheycan’t finda doctor whounderstands thedisease andhas thecadre of resourcestotreatthemeffectively.”

TheRareCancerProgram hasbeenbringing hope to patients,and theEJGHteamlooks forward to building on itsprogress.

“Totransformsomething from amom-and-popshop,practically-out-of-your-garageprogram into somethingthatisnow highly sophisticated—with robust treatmentoptions andastrongclinicaltrial portfolio—andtostill have allthatcater to disenfranchised andvulnerablepopulations in this countryis trulyinspirational,” said Hobbs-Maluccio.“Ithink it’s oneofthe reasonswhy we keep going, despitethe many stressorsofworking in healthcare.”

“It’ssomethingI’vecometoappreciateabout the spirit of NewOrleans,too,” continuedHobbs-Maluccio.“There’sa spirit of,‘When thestorm comes, we keep finding higher ground.’

Formoreinformation on theRareCancer ProgramatEJGH, visit: https://www.lcmchealth org/east-jefferson-general-hospital/our-services/ cancer-care/cancer-programs-and-treatments/ rare-cancer-program/

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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.

Russia has denied that its planes entered Estonian airspace and has said the drones didn’ttarget Poland, with Moscow’sally Belarus maintaining that Ukrainian signal-jamming sent the devices off course. But European leaderssee the incidents as intentional, provocative moves meantto rattle NATO and to suss how the alliance willrespond. The alliance warned Russia this week that NATO would use

Russia’sMinister for Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrovaddresses the 80thsession of the United Nations General Assembly on SaturdayatU.N.headquarters.

all means to defend against anyfurtherbreaches ofits airspace.

At the U.N., Lavrov maintained it’sRussia that’sfacing threats

“Russia has never had and doesnot haveany suchintentions” of attacking European 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 andthe EU.” Lavrov spoke threeyears into Russia’sinvasion of Ukraine, awar that the international community has

broadly deplored.

U.S.President Donald Trumpsaid this week that he believed Ukraine can win backall the territoryithas lost to Russia.Itwas anotable tone shift from aU.S leader who had previously suggested Ukraine would need to make someconcessions and could neverreclaim allthe areasRussiahas occupied sinceseizing the CrimeanPeninsulain2014 and launching afull-scale invasion in 2022.

Just three weeks earlier Russian PresidentVladimir Putin said his country and the U.S. had a“mutualunder-

standing” and that Trump’s administration“is listening to us.” Trump and Putin held asummitinAlaska in early Augustbut left without adeal to end the war

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

“In the approaches of the current U.S. administration, we seea desirenot only to contribute to ways to realistically resolve theUkrainian crisis,but also adesiretodevelop 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 thatincludes 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. Russia hasoffered various explanations for the Ukraine war,among them ensuring Russia’sits own security after NATO expanded eastward over the yearsand drew closer with Ukraineafter Russia’s move

into Crimea. Russia also has said its offensive was meant to protect Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine andthe West have denounced Russia’sinvasion as an unprovoked act of aggression.

Addressing the devastatingwar in Gaza, Lavrov condemnedHamasmilitants’ surprise attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, but said “there is no justification” forIsrael’skilling of Palestinian civilians, including children. The Hamas attack killed about1,200 people in Israel; 251 were taken hostage. Israel’s sweeping offensive has killed morethan 65,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.Itdoes not give a breakdownofcivilianand combatant deaths but says around half of those killed were womenand children. Lavrov also said there is no basis forany potential Israeli annexation of the West Bank, which Palestinians consider akey part of their future state, along with Gaza and east Jerusalem. Israel hasn’tannounced sucha move, but several leading members in Netanyahu’sgovernment have advocated doing so. Officials recently approved a controversialsettlement project that would effectively cut the West Bank in two, amove critics say could doom chances foraPalestinian state.

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 mattersaid Friday The bureau last spring had reassigned the agentsbut hassince firedthem, said the people, who insistedonanonymity to discuss personnel matters with The Associated Press. The number of FBIemployeesterminatedwas not immediatelyclear,but two people said it was roughly20. Thephotographs at issue showed agroup of agents taking the kneeduring oneof the demonstrations following theMay 2020 killingofFloyd, adeath that ledtoanational reckoning over policing and racial injustice and sparked widespread anger after millions of people saw video of the arrest. Thekneeling had angered some in theFBI but was also understood as apossible de-escalation tactic during aperiod of protests

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The FBI Agents Association confirmed in astatement late Friday thatmore thana dozen agents hadbeen fired, including militaryveterans with additional statutoryprotections, and condemned the move as unlawful.Itcalled on Congress to investigate andsaidthe firings were another indication of FBI Director Kash Patel’sdisregard for the legal rights of bureau employees.

“As DirectorPatel has repeatedly stated, nobody is above the law,” the agents association said. “But rather than providing theseagents withfairtreatmentand due process, Patel chose to again violate the law by ignoring these agents’ constitutional andlegal rights instead of following the requisite process.” An FBIspokesmandeclined to comment Friday

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Sparse indictment of Comey belies complex 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 anonymous source in news stories. That brevity belies a convoluted and contentious back story The events at the heart of the disputed testimony are among the most heavily scrutinized in the bureau’s history, 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 inquiries into whether Russia was helping Republican Donald Trump’s campaign during the 2016 presidential race against Democrat Hillary Clinton and her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state. Here are some things to know about that period and how they fit into Comey’s indictment:

What are the allegations?

The indictment alleges that Comey made a false statement in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The single quote from the indictment appears to be from an interaction with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Prosecutors contend Comey lied when he denied having authorized anyone at the FBI to be an anonymous source to the media. In fact, prosecutors allege, he had done that very thing by telling someone — identified as “Person 3” in the indictment to speak to reporters.

“It’s such a bare-bones indictment,’ said Solomon Wisenberg, a former federal prosecutor and now a defense attorney in private practice. “We do not know what the evidence is going to be” at trial.

What did Comey 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 a leak to The Wall Street Journal for a story examining how the FBI handled an investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server when she was secretary of state.

Cruz’s question was complicated, but it boiled down to pitting Comey against McCabe. The senator noted that Comey told Congress in 2017 that he had not authorized anyone to speak to reporters. But Cruz asserted that McCabe had “publicly and repeatedly said he leaked information to The Wall Street Journal and that you were directly aware of it and that you directly authorized it.”

“Who’s telling the truth?” Cruz asked.

Comey answered: “I stand by the testimony you summarized that I gave in May of 2017.” At that time, Comey had been put on the spot by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa. Comey was asked whether he had “ever authorized someone else at the FBI to be an anonymous source in news reports about the Trump investigation or the Clinton investigation.”

Comey answered, “No.”

The indictment says Comey falsely stated that he had not “authorized someone else at the FBI to be an

Ukraine nuclear plant enters fifth day on emergency power

Zelenskyy announces $90B arms deal

BY ILLIA NOVIKOV and VOLODYMYR YURCHUK Associated Press

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

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meanwhile, announced a $90 billion arms agreement with the United States and criticized Hungary for carrying out “dangerous” intelligence-gathering drone activities over Ukraine.

External power to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest, has been cut for more than four days in a record outage at the six-reactor facil-

ity on the front line of the war, Greenpeace Ukraine warned Saturday Emergency diesel generators are being used to power cooling and safety systems after the final power line was severed on Tuesday, according to the U.N nuclear watchdog. Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, but the external power supply was not restored.

anonymous source in news reports,” but Comey appears not to have used that exact phrasing during the 2020 hearing at issue, potentially complicating efforts to establish that he made a false statement.

What sparked questions?

“Person 3” is not identified in the indictment, but appears to have been discussing an investigation related to Clinton, based on a clearer reference in a felony charge that grand jurors 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 McCabee told the Justice Department’s inspector general that he had authorized a subordinate to talk to the Journal reporter and had told Comey about that interaction after the fact.

It’s unlikely the indictment is focused on that episode because McCabe never told investigators that Comey had authorized him to talk to the media, only that the FBI director was aware that McCabe had done so.

Two other leak investigations involved a friend of Comey’s who served for a time as a paid government adviser to the director That adviser, Daniel Richman, has told investigators he spoke to the media to help shape perceptions of the embattled FBI chief.

Richman, a law professor at Columbia University, was interviewed by FBI agents in 2019 about leaks to the media that concerned the bureau’s investigation into Clinton. Richman said Comey had never authorized him to speak to the media about the Clinton investigation but he acknowledged Comey was aware that he sometimes engaged with reporters.

The reactor core and used nuclear fuel must be cooled to prevent them overheating and triggering dangerous meltdowns like the ones that occurred in 2011, when an earthquake and tsunami hit the Fukushima plant in Japan. The U.N. atomic watchdog has repeatedly warned of the possibility of a radiation catastrophe like the one at Chernobyl, about 300 miles to the northwest, where a reactor exploded in 1986.

Ukrainian officials confirmed the severity of the situation. Minister of Energy Svitlana Hrynchuk told The Associated Press that “the plant remains in blackout mode, which is a significant violation of the conditions for its normal operation,” marking the 10th such incident since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. The cause, she said, was another shelling by the Russians, which damaged the only power transmission line supplying the plant from the Ukrainian energy system.

The Russian-controlled Telegram channel for the plant said Saturday that

“sufficient diesel fuel reserves are available on-site to ensure long-term autonomous operation of the generators.”

A radiation and nuclear energy specialist at Greenpeace Ukraine, Jan Vande Putte, said “emergency diesel generators are considered the last line of defense, used only in extreme circumstances.”

“These are undoubtedly the most serious and important events since the beginning of the occupation of the ZNPP by Russia in March 2022,” he said. Putte said that it was Russia’s “deliberate actions” that led to the plant’s disconnection from the external power grid of Ukraine.

Comey has acknowledged using Richman as a conduit to the media in another matter After Comey was fired by Trump in 2017, he gave Richman a memo that detailed his interactions with the president. Comey later testified to Congress that he had authorized Richman to disclose the contents of the memo to journalists with the hopes of spurring the appointment of a special counsel who might investigate Trump. How did we get here?

Trump and Comey have been engaged in a long-running feud. Trump blames Comey for having started an investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 campaign that led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller Mueller spent the better part of two years investigating whether Trump’s campaign colluded with the Kremlin to help him win the White House.

In the end, Mueller uncovered no evidence that Trump or his associates criminally colluded with Russia, but found that they had welcomed Moscow’s assistance. Trump has long vented about the “Russia hoax,” which shadowed and defined the early years of his first term.

Trump has spent the ensuing 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, to act against Comey and two other perceived Trump enemies: “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility,” Trump posted on social media last week. “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW.” Within hours of the indictment being returned, Trump turned again to social media to gloat: “JUSTICE IN AMERICA! One of the worst human beings this Country has ever been exposed to is James Comey.”

Comey has hardly backed down, criticizing Trump on a host of matters. In a 2018 memoir, “A Higher Loyalty,” Comey compared Trump to a mafia don and said he was unethical and “untethered to truth.”

Like Trump, Comey took to social media after his indictment.

“My family and I have known for years there are costs to standing up to Donald Trump,” he said. “My heart is broken for the Department of Justice, but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I’m innocent. So, let’s have a trial.”

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

U.S. revokes visa for Colombia’s president

BY CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Tensions between the United States and Colombia have escalated with the State Department announcing it was revoking a visa for Gustavo Petro, president of the Latin American country, after he participated in a New York protest where he called on American soldiers to disobey President Donald Trump’s orders.

The department said on social media that “we will revoke Petro’s visa due to his reckless and incendiary actions.”

Petro was visiting for the annual U.N General Assembly During a nearby protest Friday over the war in Gaza, he said “I ask all the soldiers of the United States’ army, don’t point your rifles against humanity” and “disobey the orders of Trump.”

Petro returned to Colombia on Saturday as intended, in accordance with a Sept. 18

decree on the delegation of powers during his absence. He said on X that he found out about his visa status upon his arrival.

The State Department did not answer questions about whether the revocation would affect future visits. Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, used a post on X addressed to Trump to say that “international law grants me immunity to go to the U.N. and that there should be no reprisals for my free opinion, because I am a free person.” Petro, who has a history of speaking off the cuff in meandering, ideologically charged speeches, also said on social media that “I don’t care” about the punishment because he is also a European citizen. That means he does not need a visa to travel to the U.S. Colombia broke diplomatic ties with Israel last year over the Israel-Hamas war Petro has repeatedly described Israel’s siege of Gaza as genocide.

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U.N. imposes ‘snapback’ sanctions on Iran

BY JON GAMBRELL and AMIR VAHDAT Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates

The United Nations reimposed sanctions on Iran early Sunday over its nuclear program, further squeezing the 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 7 p.m.

The sanctions will again freeze Iranian assets abroad, halt arms deals with Tehran, and penalize any development of Iran’s ballistic missile program, among other measures It came 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 and other staples of the Iranian dinner table. Meanwhile, people worry

about a new round of fighting between Iran and Israel — as well as potentially the United States — as missile sites struck during the 12day war in June now appear to be being rebuilt.

Activists fear a rising wave of repression within the Islamic Republic, which already has reportedly executed more people this year than over the past three decades

Sina, the father of a 12-yearold boy who spoke on condition that only his first name be used for fear of repercussions, said the country has never faced such a challenging time, even during the deprivations of the 1980s IranIraq war and the decades of sanctions that came later

“For as long as I can remember we’ve been struggling with economic hardship, and every year it’s worse than the last,” Sina told The Associated Press. “For my generation, it’s always either too late or too early — our dreams are slipping away.”

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

Two women walk Saturday past a huge banner showing the late commander of the Iran’s Revolutionary Guard expeditionary Quds Force, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S drone attack in 2020, and two Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah, center and Hashem Safieddine, who were killed in Israeli airstrikes in 2024, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami square, in Tehran, Iran.

proposed actions against Tehran in the past.

France, Germany and the United Kingdom triggered snapback over Iran 30 days ago for its further restricting monitoring of its nuclear program and the deadlock over its negotiations with the U.S. Iran further withdrew

from the International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring after Israel’s war on the country in June, which also saw the U.S. strike nuclear sites in the Islamic Republic.

Meanwhile, the country still maintains a stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60% purity a short, technical step

away from weapons-grade levels of 90% that is largely enough to make several 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 program up until 2003.

Tehran has further argued that the three European nations shouldn’t be allowed to implement snapback, pointing in part to America’s unilateral withdrawal from the accord in 2018, during the first term of President Donald Trump’s administration.

“The Trump administration appears to think it has a stronger hand post-strikes, and it can wait for Iran to come back to the table,” said Kelsey Davenport, a nuclear expert at the Washingtonbased Arms Control Association. “Given the knowledge Iran has, given the materials that remain in Iran, that’s a very dangerous assumption.”

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

BY FREIDA FRISARO Associated Press

MIAMI — Crews spent Saturday making preparations for an unnamed weather system that is forecast to become Tropical Storm Imelda late Saturday or early Sunday before approaching the coast of South Carolina as a hurricane early next week. Meanwhile, Hurricane Humberto grew into a strong Category 5 storm in the Atlantic and threatened the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Bermuda. South Carolina Gov Henry

McMaster urged residents on Saturday afternoon to closely monitor the weather and stay alert as potential bad weather approaches the state Also on Saturday, North Carolina Gov Josh Stein declared a state of emergency in advance of the system that is being identified by the National Hurricane Center in Miami as Tropical Depression Nine. A year ago Saturday, Hurricane Helene devastated parts of South Carolina and North Carolina Forecasters said the system is on track to become a

tropical storm late Saturday or early Sunday It would be named Imelda. At 5 p.m. EST the system was located about 105 miles south southwest of the Central Bahamas. It was moving at 5 mph.

“What we learn every time is we never know where they are going to go,” McMaster said during a Saturday afternoon news conference to discuss the storm. “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 Humberto strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane on Saturday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center’s latest advisory The storm was located about 350 miles northeast of the northern Leeward Islands. It was moving west at 10 mph.

Humberto could produce life-threatening surf and rip currents for the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and

Bermuda over the weekend, forecasters said.

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

The unnamed system was threatening parts of the Bahamas and Cuba with heavy rainfall and flash flooding on Saturday, with portions of

the Bahamas under a tropical storm warning. More warnings and watches were expected on Saturday night and Sunday, the hurricane center said. The Bahamas’ Department of Meteorology on Saturday urged residents in the northwest and central islands, 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 across that region throughout Sunday

Democratsprepare forpossiblefederal shutdown

Theirendgame is uncertain

BY MARYCLARE JALONICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON Senate Democrats

who have struggled for months to counter President Donald Trump have settled on abold, one-step strategy if they do not get significant concessions on health carebefore government funding runs out Wednesday: voting to shut downthe 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 supportfor Republicanstokeepthe government open at that time

“America’sability to endure this moment requires aDemocratic Party drivingavibrant, impactful and public resistance,” Katie Bethell, executive directorofliberal grassroots groupMoveOn,wrote in aletter to party leaders

Less clear is what’sinthe minority party’splaybook after 12:01 a.m.

EDT Wednesday,when theshutdown would start and the administration could begin laying off hundreds or even thousands offederal workers, if it carries through with plans laid out by the White House this week.

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

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

Republicans hold the majority

and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.y., left, hold anewsconference on June 11 at theCapitol in Washington.

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 end of theyear, among other demands.

Democrats havealso adopted asomewhat resignedview of the choice ahead.

The country “will get worse with or without” ashutdown, Schumer saidthis month. “Because Trumpis lawless.” It’sanuncertain endgame and an about-face for Democrats whointhe past have strenuously opposedshutdowns that wereinstigated by Republicans.

An extended shutdown with mass firings offederal workers would be amajor escalation in theannual spendingbattles betweenthe two parties. Thethreatofgovernment closure —and the potential politicalramifications —has generally

scared bothsides enough to bring everyonetothe negotiatingtable, eventually

“Funding the government is a Democrat equity,atleast it always hasbeen,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.,who hasdeclined to negotiate with Democrats unless theyhelppassthe seven-week extensionofgovernment funding thathas cleared the House. “And here theyare steering us off thatcliff.”

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

Schumersaysthings have changedsince hisMarch vote to help fund thegovernment through the summer

Republicans passed amassive tax bill that cut Medicaidspending, and Trump has repeatedly blocked federal spending that waspreviously approved by Congress. Democrats say 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.

“This president is just —he’snot up to being president if he can’tsit downand negotiate with the two Democratic leaders,” Schumer said on PBS’ “News Hour” this week.

Jeffries said Friday that Democrats are“not going to go along to get along.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, “has my number.John Thune has 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 that some in the caucus will vote to keep the government open or try to strike a deal when the deadline arrives.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., voted with Republicans in atest vote, and nine other Democrats voted with Schumerand Republicansonthe Marchresolution. Republicans would need at least six additional Democrats, potentially more, to reachthe necessary60votes for passage.

Schumer has alot to lose either way,after taking apolitical thumping from liberal groups, and many voters, in the spring.

Agroundswell of angst and frustrationhas beensimmering for monthsamongthe Democratic base, driven by Republicans’ tighteninggriponWashingtonand a growing perception that the Demo-

cratic Party is tooweaktofight back.Now,withfederalclosures looming, manyactivists and lawmakers see arare point of leverage anda chance to recast the party’s image with voters.

“It would be naive to suggest that allthe trust that Democratic elected officials have lost and squandered withtheir base voters can be regained in one moment or one fight,” said Joel Payne, chief of communications for MoveOn. “But Ithink it will go alongway to really start to reverse that relationship.”

Sydney Register of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee said Democrats cannot afford to yield again even if that means the administration carriesout mass federal layoffs.

Register said that voting with Republicans was like giving “the schoolyard bully their lunch money.”

“I want to see them hold on to their lunch money,because all the bully is going to do is try to keep stealing from you,” she said.

Sen. Cory Booker,D-N.J., made a similaranalogy aboutTrump and Democraticeffortstoextend the expanded health care subsidies, whichexpire Jan.1.Some Republicans support the extension, but Trumpand GOPleaders have said that is afightfor laterinthe year Democrats say the timefor action is now

“I’m not afraid of (Trump), I’m notafraidofhis threats, andIknow that this is going to be atough fight and an ugly fight,” Booker said this month. “But this is one fight worth having, and that’swhere Istand.” Associated Press writers Bill Barrow in Atlanta and Joey Cappelletti and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.

Rudy Giuliani,DominionVotingSystems settle defamation suit

By The Associated Press

NEW YORK Rudy Giuliani has reached asettlement with DominionVotingSystems in its $1.3 billion defamation lawsuitover his baseless2020 election-rigging claims. The two sides said inafiling in federalcourt in Washington,

D.C., on Friday that they have agreed to permanently dismiss the suit against the former New York City mayor andformer personal lawyertoPresident Donald Trump.

The brieffiling doesn’tcitethe settlement terms.Spokespeople forGiuliani and the Coloradobasedcompany saidSaturday that theterms are confidential and declined to commentfurther Dominion sued Giuliani in 2021 for $1.3 billion in damages after he led Trump’sefforts to cast doubt on the 2020 election results. Conservatives and other Trump supporters blamed the company, oneofthe nation’stop voting machine makers, for theRepublican’sloss to DemocratJoe Biden. Many alleged, without evidence, that its systems were easily manipulated. Dominion hadprovided voting machines forthe state of Georgia,a critical battleground that Bidenwon and whichflipped control of the U.S. Senate Theweb of conspiracy theories following the2020 election not only caused headaches for Dominion but also undermined public confidenceinU.S.elections, led to callstoban voting machines and triggereddeaththreats against elections officials. But Trump’sformer attorney general and others found no widespread fraud in the election.

Denmark reports drone sightings at military facilities

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 after there were several drone sightings in the Nordic country earlier this week, with some of 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’s biggest military base

The defense ministry refused to confirm the sighting at Karup or elsewhere and said that “for reasons of operational security and the ongoing investigation, the Defense Command Denmark does not wish to elaborate further on drone sightings.”

The ministry clarified later to public broadcaster DR that reports of additional drone activity at Skrydstrup Air Base and the Jutland Dragoon Regiment referred to sightings that didn’t occur overnight from Friday to Saturday Its earlier statement seemed to imply that timing, and was widely reported.

The ministry couldn’t be reached immediately for

Pakistan

BY ADIL JAWAD Associated Press

confirmation, but a statement on its website referring to the incidents at the base and barracks was dated Thursday — though it didn’t directly confirm the sightings took place that day

Tensions have been running high in Denmark in recent days after various reports of drone activity, and hundreds of possible sightings reported by concerned citizens couldn’t officially be confirmed. Nonetheless, the public has been asked to report all suspicious activity to police.

On Saturday DR and several other local media reported that in Karup, there were drones in the air both inside and outside the fence of the air base at around 8 p.m. on Friday, quoting Simon Skelkjær, the duty manager at the Central and West Jutland Police.

DR said that for a period of time, the airspace was closed to civil air traffic, but that didn’t have much practical significance as there is currently no civil aviation in Karup

The repeated unexplained drone activity including over four Danish airports overnight Wednesday into Thursday and a similar incident at Copenhagen Airport, has raised concerns about security in northern Europe amid suspected growing Russian aggression

Flights were grounded in

Pionegaarden, near the village of Dragoer and on the

Denmark and Sweden.

the Danish capital for hours on Monday night.

The goal of the flyovers is to sow fear and division, Danish Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard said Thursday adding that the country will seek additional ways to neutralize drones, including proposing legislation to allow infrastructure owners to shoot them down. For the upcoming European Union summit next week, the Denmark’s defense ministry said on X that

the country’s government had accepted an offer from Sweden to “lend Denmark a military anti-drone capability,” without giving further details.

In neighboring Germany several drones were reported in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, which borders Denmark, from Thursday into Friday night.

The state’s interior minister Sabine Sütterlin-Waack, said that “the state police

are currently significantly stepping up their drone defense measures, also in coordination with other northern German states,” German news agency dpa reported. She didn’t provide further details, citing the ongoing investigations.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told reporters on Saturday afternoon that his ministry is working on new anti-drone rules that aim to detect, intercept and — if needed —

also shoot down drones.

On Thursday, European defense ministers agreed to develop a “drone wall” along their borders with Russia and Ukraine to better detect, track and intercept drones violating Europe’s airspace.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that in regard to frequent attacks on infrastructure and data networks, “we are not at war, but we are no longer living in peace either.” He didn’t allude to a certain country as the actor behind those attacks.

“Drone flights, espionage, the Tiergarten murder massive threats to individual public figures, not only in Germany but also in many other European countries. Acts of sabotage on a daily basis. Attempts to paralyze data centers. Cyberattacks,” he added during a speech at the Schwarz Ecosystem Summit in Berlin on Friday, dpa reported. What became known as the “Tiergarten murder” in Germany refers to the case of Vadim Krasikov, who was convicted of the Aug. 23, 2019, killing of Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili, a 40-year-old Georgian citizen who had fought Russian troops in Chechnya and later claimed asylum in Germany Krasikov was returned to Russia as part of a massive prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia in 2024.

vaccinates 9M girls against cervical cancer despite backlash

KARACHI, Pakistan Pakistan has vaccinated about 9 million adolescent girls against the virus that causes cervical cancer, as part of a continuing national campaign that has overcome early setbacks fueled by skeptics online, the health minister said Friday Health Minister Mustafa

Kamal said the campaign that began Sept. 15 is aiming to vaccinate 13 million girls aged 9 to 14 against the human papillomavirus, or HPV which causes most cervical cancers. He said the program so far achieved 70% of its goal.

The program has overcome what Kamal said were baseless rumors spread by some parents that the vaccine could cause infertility

He gave the vaccine to his own daughter live on stage at an event in Karachi this week to build confidence.

“By the grace of God, administering the vaccine to my daughter publicly had a huge impact,” Kamal told The Associated Press.

“From the fifth day of the campaign, refusal rates began dropping and acceptance climbed to 70-80% in some districts.”

However, many parents are still reluctant.

“I have heard that the vaccination is being used to make women infertile and reduce the population of Muslims,” said Ali Sheikh, a mother of two in Karachi, the capital of Sindh province.

She said that “social media is full of such claims,” and that she was advised by relatives not to allow health

workers to vaccinate her daughters.

Health worker Shamim Anwar, 52, said the job of administering the vaccines has been exhausting.

“It is very difficult work.

Many parents refuse because of rumors and hesitate to let us vaccinate their daughters,” she said.

“Sometimes we even face humiliation, but we tolerate it because we have to com-

plete the vaccination target,” she said, as she went door-to-door for the campaign in Karachi.

Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer among Pakistani women after breast and ovarian cancers. Globally, it is the fourth most common. Each year between 18,000 and 20,000 women in Pakistan die of the disease, according to health authorities.

ASSOCIATED

People

Tina Turner statue unveiled in Tennessee

BY ADRIAN SAINZ Associated Press

BROWNSVILLE, Tenn. A10-

foot statue of rock n’ roll

queen Tina Turner was unveiled Saturday in the rural Tennessee community where she grew up —before becoming aGrammywinningsinger,anelectrifying stage performer,and one the world’smostrecognizable and popular entertainers.

Thestatue wasrevealed during aceremony at a park in Brownsville, located about an hour drive east of Memphis. The city of about 9,000 peopleisnearNutbush, the community where Turner went to school as a child. As ateen, she attended high school just steps fromwhere the statue now stands.

The statue showsTurner with her signature wild hairdo and holding amicrophone, as if she was singing on stage. It was designed by sculptor Fred Ajanogha, who said he tried to capture her flexibility of movement on stage, how she held the microphone with her index finger extended, and her

hair style, which he compared to the “mane of a lion.”

Turner died May 24, 2023 at age 83 aftera long illness in herhome in Küsnacht near Zurich. Her Grammywinningsinging career included the hitsongs“Nutbush City Limits,” “Proud Mary,” “Private Dancer,” and “WeDon’tNeed AnotherHero,” fromthe film “Mad MaxBeyondThunderdome.” Hermoviecredits also include Tommy” and“Last ActionHero.”

Turner teamed with husbandIke Turner for hitrecords and live shows in the 1960s and ’70s. She survived hertroubledmarriage to succeed in middle agewith the chart-topping “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” released in 1984

Her admirers ranged from Mick Jagger to BeyoncétoMariah Carey,and shewas known as thethe “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”

The unveiling was part of the10th-annual Tina Turner Heritage Days, acelebration of her life growing up in ruralTennessee, before she movedawayasa teenager

DEATHS continued from andHehas been my sav‐

Carnival organizations. He is survivedbythe love of his life,his wife Georgie ExniciosSmith;his sons Douglas Lane (Patricia), Adam Charles, and Ryan Spencer, of whom he was extremely proud;grandchildren Morgan Stella, AidenCole, Beauregard Douglas, and Finnegan Augustus, who brought him immense joy; and his adored sisters CaroleeHales (Merrill)and Lane Reinwand Aprivateinterment 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 Talbert, Latunga

LatungaTalbert,50, was bornonSeptember 2, 1975 inNew Orleans, LA.Hede‐partedthislifeonSeptem‐ber 12, 2025 at hishome. Heissurvivedbyhis par‐ents, Mr.Zachary True‐blood andMs. LonnieTal‐bertbothofNew Orleans, LA; oneson,Joshua Mor‐gan of Dallas,TX; one grandson, ZirenHillofNew Orleans,LA; twosisters, Darlene (Johnny) Lenoir of Kokomo, MS andKenisha (Roderick)HaynesofTyler‐town, MS;and ahostof nieces, nephews, otherrel‐ativesand friends. He is precededindeath by two brothers, ZacharyTrue‐blood,Jr. andDavid True‐blood,and onenephew Brandon Talbert. Services wereheldprivately.Profes‐sionalarrangementsen‐trusted to Majestic Mortu‐ary Service, Inc. (504)5235872.

ior.” Janlived herCatholic faith with passionasa wife, mother,grandmother and spiritualdirectorand mentortoscoresofpeo‐ple.Jan waspredeceased byher parentsClayton and LoisSchexnaildreand her brother Paul Schexnaildre (Suzy). Sheissurvivedby her husband of 53 years, Lloyd Tate,and her5 chil‐dren: Adam Tate (Eugenie), RachelMulry (Pat), Jessica Vicknair, SarahFoote (Gary)and Evan Tate (Tra‐cie). Janisalsosurvivedby 18grandchildren whom she adored andwho lov‐ingly called herMamere. She is also survived by 3 siblings: ValKing(Ed), DrewSchexnaildre(Lylee) and Rene Schexnaildre (Susie) anda host of cher‐ished cousins, nieces,and nephews.Jan wasan honor graduate of both ChapelleHighSchool and LoyolaUniversitywhere she earned adegreein communications. Shewas indeed agiftedcommuni‐cator highly regarded as a retreat director andher en‐gagingFaith witnessled her to speaking opportuni‐tiesbothnationallyand in‐ternationally.Jan wasac‐tivelyinvolvedinmultiple Church ministries sinceher highschool years. Hermin‐istries aretoo many to enumerate buther twopri‐maryministrieswereserv‐ing as aspiritual director atthe Archdiocesan Spiri‐tuality Center foralmost30 years andher jointmin‐istry with herhusband Lloyd over thepast48 years in preparingcouples for marriage in the Catholic Church.Jan and Lloyd were encouraged to authora book to guide other marriedcouples in mentoring engagedcou‐plesfor marriage.Their program,“In Home Mar‐riage Preparation” is used extensively in theNew Or‐leans area andinseveral diocesesaround theUS. In additiontotraininghun‐dreds of marriedcouples toengageinthisministry, Janand Lloydhaveperson‐

ally prepared more than 400 engagedcouples for marriageand enjoyed close ongoingrelation‐ships with many of them The familywants to extend profound gratitudetoall who sent loving messages toJan attestingtoher im‐pactontheir lives. Shere‐ceivedwellover100 such messages. Shetruly expe‐rienced thegracesofa “happydeath.” “Welldone good andfaithfulservant Comeand shareyourMas‐ter’s joy.”A Mass of Christ‐ian Burial will be cele‐bratedatSt. FrancisXavier Church,444 Metairie Road onFriday, October3,2025 atnoon.Visitationwill begin at 10:00 a.m. Janwill beburiedonthe holy groundsofSt. Joseph Abbeyina privatecere‐monyfollowing theMass. In lieu of flowers, please considercontributions to the Archdiocesan Spiritual‐ity Center,CatholicChari‐ties, or aChristian charity ofyourchoice.

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 OrderofMaryand of Sa‐

cred HeartChurch in Gramercy. Renette was veryactiveinthe Church 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

Ford,diesat95

Sara Jane Moore, who triedtoassassinate Gerald

BY TRAVIS LOLLER Associated Press

NASHVILLE,Tenn. Sara Jane

Moore,who was imprisoned for more than 30 years after she made an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975, has died. She was 95 Moore died Wednesday at anursing home in Franklin, Tennessee, according to Demetria Kalodimos, alongtime acquaintance who said she wasinformed by the executor of Moore’s estate. Kalodimos is an executive producer at the Nashville Banner newspaper,which was first to report the death. Moore seemed an unlikely candidate to gain national notoriety as aviolent political radicalwho nearly killed

apresident.When she shot at Ford in San Francisco, she was amiddle-aged womanwho hadbegun dabbling in leftistgroups and sometimes served as an FBI informant.

Sentenced to life, Moore wasserving her time at the FederalCorrectional Institution in Dublin, California, when she was unexpectedly paroledDec.31, 2007.Federal officials gave no details on whyshe was set free. She lived largely anonymously in an undisclosed location after that, but in broadcastinterviewsshe expressed regret for what she had done. She said she hadbeen caughtupinthe radical political movements thatwerecommoninCalifornia in themid-1970s.

Janelle“Jan” Schexnail‐dre Tate passedintothe armsofour loving Godon September 25, 2025 at the age of 75 after abrief but intense battlewithcancer ofthe smallintestines. When confronted with the cancerdiagnosis andits advancedstage,Jan coura‐geously decidedtoforego chemo treatments;she knewWho waswaiting for her on theother side,a faithfulGod who never ceasedtoshowerher with loveand mercy. Jandrew strengthfromthese words fromthe prophetIsaiah(Is 12:2):“Godindeed is my savior; Iamconfident and unafraid. My strength and my courageisthe Lord

By Stevie Cavalier Licciardi

stevie.licciardi@theadvocate.com

This articleisbrought to youby GregoryRicks &Associates.

Whether youare afew yearsout from full retirement ageoryou arejustbeginningyourcareer, thereis no better time to plan foryourfinancialfuturethan now. Determininghow Social Security willimpact your future finances is an importantcomponent of retirement preparation, andGregory Ricks& Associates encouragesindividuals to stay informedof theirbenefitoptions as they make decisionsleading up to retirement “Wewanttomakesurewehavea discussion about it everyyearuntil an individual begins receivingtheir Social Security benefit becausethings canchange,” said GregoryRicks,founder,CEO andwealthadvisor at GregoryRicks &Associates. “Ifsomeone comesin at sixty, andtheyare thinking aboutturning on Social Security at sixty-five, that’s alongtime. Health can change.Incomeneeds canchange.

Stayingabreast of thechanges in both your life andinSocialSecuritypoliciescan help your family make decisionsthatwillaffectyourretirementgoals Incorporatingyourdecisions on your Social Security benefit into your overarchingincomeplanisavital part of creating an accurate retirement forecast “I love it when agreat plan comestogether,”said Ricks. “It’srewarding to seeour clients happy, confident,andtohelpthemaccomplishtheirgoals.It’sgreat to seepeoplehappy in theirretirements.”

TheTiming of Claiming Benefit Distributions Decidingwhentoturnona Social Security benefit isacrucialstepinunderstandinghowyourbenefitwill impact your wallet in retirement.The lifetime value of an individual’s Social Security benefit partially dependsoniftheywaituntil reachingfullretirement ageornot to accesstheir Social Security benefit

PerSocialSecurity Administration guidelines,full retirement age(FRA) is determined by an individual’s birthyear. Forindividuals whowerebornbetween theyears of 1943and 1954,the FRAis66, andfor everysuccessive birthyearupto1960,anadditional twomonthsare addedtoFRA.Those born in 1960 or afterwillreach FRAwhentheyturn67. Allwho are eligible forSocialSecurity canstart receivingtheir payments beginningatage 62,however,the amount willbereduced permanently. Whileitmay seem intuitivetoalwayswaituntil your FRAtoaccessthe highestlevel of benefit,there arecircumstances whereitmay be more optimalfor an individual to claimSocialSecurityearly.When it comestomarried couples, if thehigher-earning spouse begins receivingSocialSecurityearly and passes away first,the lower-earningspousemay ultimately lose outonthe full valueoftheir survivor benefit.Ifthe lowerearnerclaimstheir benefit early andpassesawayfirst, therewould be no lost benefit forthe higher earningspouse. Therefore, it maybe beneficial to weighthe option of thehigherearner deferring untilFRA,while thelower earner claims theirbenefitbeforeFRA When to BeginThinking AboutSocialSecurity “I wouldsay theseconversations need to start five yearsout or even more,” said Ricks. “There aretwo

thingswealwayslookatwhenhavingourfirstmeeting with apotential client—theirdateofbirth andwhat theirexpectedage of retirement is.Weare lookingto geta snapshot of wheretheyare rightnow andwhere they arelooking to be.”

When thetimecomes that youare readytoturnon your Social Security benefit,you candosobyapplying at www.ssa.gov/apply,orbycalling 1-800-772-1213 Youcan also schedule an appointmentatyourlocal SocialSecurityoffice.Animportanttipistoremember to register for benefitsabout threemonthsinadvance of when youwishtobegin receivingpayments. Ricksalsoencouragesindividuals whoare 30 years oroldertosetuptheirSocialSecurityaccount.Though a30-year-old will notbeclaimingtheir benefit forat leastanother 30 years, settingupthe accountallows thefutureapplicant to keep trackoftheir contributionsand anticipatedmonthly benefit.Theythenhave theability to addressany errors in atimelyfashion “Onour radioshowa fewyears ago, aladycalled in aboutwhy herexpectedmonthly Social Security benefit hadsuddenly reducedthatyear,”Ricks said “I suggestedthatshe go back andcheck that what wascreditedinher accountinthe past fewyears was accurate.She didgoback, andshe foundanerror and haditcorrected.Her benefit assumption wasthen adjusted accordingly.

Additional FactorsthatDetermine the ValueofSocialSecurityBenefits Twomajor factorsthatgointodeterminingthe valueofanindividual’sSocialSecuritybenefitare theirworkrecordand earnings.SocialSecurityis calculated basedon35years of work history. If an individual hasbeenemployedlonger, then only their 35 highest-earningyears will be takenintoaccount. Amarried person maybeeligibletoreceivethe spousalor“auxiliary” Social Security benefit if their earnings over thecourseoftheir workingyears were less than that of theirspouse. This benefit allows the claimant to receiveupto50% of thehigher-earningspouse’sbenefitatfullretirementage.The lower earner canclaim thespousal benefit before FRA, however, doingsopermanently reducesthe benefit Thelong-term valueofthe spousalbenefitisalso impacted should thehigherearningspouseclaim theirbenefitearly

Thereare several otherfactors to be considered when it comestocircumstances involvingdivorce deathofa spouseoraparent, adoption,disability, and more.Those whoare curiousabout theireligibility forSocialSecurity benefitscan explorethe resources providedbytheSocialSecurityAdministrationonline at www.ssa.gov. GregoryRicks&Associatesalsoprovidesaneducational guideonSocialSecuritythatcan walk you throughkey detailstothinkabout when it comesto Social Security benefits. This guide, whichisavailable free of charge,isjustone of themanyresources that canaid youinmakinginformeddecisions about retirement planning.

“SocialSecurityisa crucialpartofincomeplanning,”saidRicks.“Youdon’t want to do income planningwithoutconsideringit.Asfinancialprofessionals we can’t push youinany direction, but workingwith a well-informedfinancialprofessionalisstill incredibly handyfor your Social Security decisions.

“A financial professional mightknowstrategies that pertaintoyourspecific situationand mayask questionsthatcan help youdetermine what youare lookingfor when it comestoyourSocialSecurity, said Ricks.

-Freda

PROVIDED PHOTO By MARCELO LUNA

Argentina.

Scientists discover a new dinosaur from Argentina

It had a crocodile bone in its mouth and claws to capture prey

BY ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN AP science writer

NEW YORK Scientists have discovered a new dinosaur from Argentina with powerful claws, feasting on an ancient crocodile bone.

The new find was possibly 23 feet long and hailed from a mysterious group of dinosaurs called megaraptorans.

They prowled across what’s now South America, Australia and parts of Asia, splitting off into different species over millions of years.

Megaraptorans were known for their stretchedout skulls and “huge and very powerful claws,” said Lucio Ibiricu with the Pata-

gonian Institute of Geology and Paleontology, who was part of the discovery team.

But it’s not yet clear how these creatures hunted and where they fall on the evolutionary timeline — mainly because the fossils recovered so far were incomplete. In a new study, researchers said they uncovered part of a skull as well as arm, leg and tail bones from the Lago Colhué Huapi rock formation in Patagonia. They noticed unique features in the bones that made them realize this could be a new species.

This latest member of the megaraptoran clan named Joaquinraptor casali “fills a major gap by providing one of the most complete skeletons yet,” Federico Agnolin with the Argentine Museum of Natural Science Bernardino Rivadavia said in an email. Agnolin was not involved with the research,

which was published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

The creature likely lived between 66 and 70 million years ago close to the time dinosaurs went extinct — and was at least 19 years old when it died, though scientists don’t know what killed it. The front leg bone pressed against its jaws — belonging to an ancient relative of crocodiles could yield some clues to its diet and whether it was the top predator on the humid prehistoric flood plains.

Ibiricu named the new dinosaur in memory of his son Joaquin. While Joaquin was very young and hadn’t yet developed a fascination with dinosaurs, Ibiricu still thinks he would have appreciated being named after one. “All children love dinosaurs so he would probably be a fan too,” he said.

BY ADITHI RAMAKRISHNAN AP science writer

NEW YORK — An undersea submersible has spotted crabs, worms and fish thriving on the surfaces of World War II explosives thought to be toxic to marine life.

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

“We were prepared to see significantly lower numbers of all kinds of animals,” said study author Andrey Vedenin with the Senckenberg Research Institute in Germany “But it turned out the opposite.”

Past conflicts have left their mark on the world’s oceans, Vedenin said. German waters alone contain

about 1.6 million tons of dumped weapons, mostly from the two world wars in the 20th century Dumped relics can contain nuclear and chemical remnants as well as explosives like TNT

It’s the latest example 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 underwater life in the Bay of Lübeck off the coast of Germany They were lurking on pieces of V-1 flying bombs used by Nazi Germany

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

The research was published Thursday in the journal Communications Earth and Environment. Why would sea creatures make their home on contaminated weapons? They could be drawn to the hard surfaces, which are in short supply in the Baltic Sea. The seafloor is mainly a flat bed of mud and sand because stones and 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 a somewhat protective bubble for the critters to thrive despite some toxic tradeoffs.

Scientists hope to calculate how much contamination was absorbed by sea life.

BY MARYPEREZ Sun Herald

Ahistoric MississippiCoast

hamburger spot beloved by locals, tourists and celebrities has shuttered.

The owners of Burger Burger,at 1039 Howard Ave. in downtown Biloxi, have retired. Therestaurant, adivision 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 openedAbbie’s Little Diner on Benachi Avenue. Their 18-inch burger was covered in asecret sauce and topped with yellow mustard and chopped raw onions, according to “A brief history of Biloxi burgers.”

“Traditionally fries anda 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.

TheElvis Presleyconnection

This was long after Ebberman, whose stage name was Ann Rae, metElvisPresley when they performed at ashowatJesuit High SchoolinNew 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 theCoast’s first Elvisshow at the Slavonian Lodge in Biloxion June 26, 1955. Presley was impressed withhow

GULF COAST

Barhanovichmanaged thecareer of histeenage daughter,who sang for Decca Records, and once asked Barhanovich to manage his career

From singingtocooking

Ebbermankept the diner open until 1993 and then continuedto serve Burger BurgersatanOcean Springs restaurant In aBiloxi comeback, she partnered with businessman Jamie Sablichtoopen Burger Burger in

January 2001 in ahouse on Howard Avenue.

“This quaint, comfortable little house takes us back to atimewhen all-wood buildings would be filled withthat wonderful atmosphere, great conversation, and, of course, one of the best burgers,sandwiches and breakfastchoices in all of Biloxi,” thehistory of Biloxi burgers says. Ebbermanbecame as accomplishedinthe kitchenasshe was on the stage. In addition to theold-fashioned and jalapeño cheese Burger Burgers, hercustomers had favorites like friedpork chops, cabbage dressing and unusual breakfast biscuitslike hamburger steak biscuit smothered in brown gravy or with creole crawfish étouffée. Other daily specialsmight be fried bologna, catfish, chicken and dumplings, liver and onions and crawfish pasta.

“Graba root beerfloat or aslice of oneofMrs. Martha’s homemade pies, cakes or cobblers,” aFacebook post invited. What’s next? It’s uncertainwhatwill happen to the Burger Burger recipe and the now-empty building where so manyofthese hamburgers were devoured. “If it doesn’tcomeback, we’ll certainly missits history in Biloxi,” the mayor said.

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people to put off or even go without care. Simply put —without dental insurance, there may be an importantgap in your healthcare coverage

When

Amish experience autism, take Tylenol, experts say

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 for a fact that autism exists in the community, contrary to President Donald Trump’s statement Monday that the Amish have “essentially no autism.”

Trump’s remarks perpetuate a false belief that autism rates are lower among the Amish, a misconception that Mitchell says resurfaces periodically The reality, he says, is that there is no good data on rates of the neurological disorder in the Amish.

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

“There have not been any good studies to ascertain what the frequency is, so we don’t really know, but anecdotally, yes, there is autism in the Amish,” said Mitchell, a genetic epidemiologist. He did a literature search

problems, Mitchell said.

Some may not consider behavioral health issues such as autism an emergency medical concern. Many also do not have health insurance, which means they pay out of pocket any time they go to the doctor

He added that it’s hard to compare the study’s prevalence rate with the general population because the study only looked at Amish children and did not use the same autism screening tool to assess the general population.

Mitchell said.

Therefore, the data isn’t enough proof of there being lower rates of autism.

Administration zeros in on autism

At a White House news conference on Monday, the Trump administration announced sweeping actions to address rising rates of autism. Without presenting scientific proof, Trump said that Tylenol should not be used during pregnancy, claiming that it increases the risk of the child developing autism.

“Does that tell you 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 a few hundred settlers and being largely isolated.

within the last six months and found only one study that did a systematic assessment of autism in the Amish. The study screened 1,899 Amish children across two communities in Holmes County, Ohio, and ElkhartLagrange County, Indiana, according to preliminary data presented at the International Meeting for Autism Research in 2010. They found a rate of approximately 1 in 271 children. That was lower than the general population’s estimated prevalence of 1 in

Trump’s ‘tough

‘It dismissed women’s pain and the real danger

BY LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press

From the pulpit of the presidency, Donald Trump 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. — to cure their fevers or headaches, despite the drug being one of the few painkillers that pregnant women are allowed to take.

“Fight like hell not to take it,” Trump instructed at a 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 many women and experts heard was the latest example of a man telling women how much physical pain they should endure — and an age-old effort to blame mothers for their babies’ autism.

“His use of ‘tough it out’ really was infuriating because it dismissed women’s pain and the real danger that exists with fever and miscarriage during pregnancy,” said women’s rights advocate and social media influencer Amanda Tietz, a 46-year-old mom of three in

President Donald Trump speaks with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr

Wisconsin, in an email. “Not to mention the pain we can experience in pregnancy that can be debilitating.”

Others saw a man opining again, without evidence that maternal use of Tylenol causes autism or ADHD in children on mothers, children with disabilities and their health at a time when studies show pain suffered by women is frequently dismissed. Women’s health and their autonomy are especially fraught issues in the wake of the Supreme Court decision in 2022 to strip away constitutional protections for abortion, a deeply personal change for Americans nearly a half century after Roe v. Wade. The debate now roils state legislatures nationwide.

“Yesterday 5 powerful men stood together in the WH and shamed: Pregnant women, told to ‘tough it out’ through pain; Moms of autistic kids, blamed for their child’s condition; Autistic people, called broken & in need of fixing,” Trump’s former surgeon general, Jerome Adams, posted on social media. “Can we all be kinder and less stigmatizing?”

91 at the time; however, the difference could have been due to caregivers answering screening questions differently due to “cultural norms and customs,” the paper noted.

“It certainly dispels the myth that there is no autism in the Amish, at the very least,” Mitchell said.

Autism may be underdiagnosed among the Amish because they tend to handle health issues internally, within their communities, and seek professional medical care only for pressing

That would be like giving different tests to students in a class and then trying to rank them by their scores. The questions should be standardized to ensure an accurate comparison.

“What you would really need to do is administer that same questionnaire, maybe, to the general population, and see what you get,”

Medical societies and a Drexel scientist who conducted a large-scale study on the topic disagreed.

Trump also implied that vaccines and medications could be causes of autism.

“There are certain groups of people that don’t take vaccines and don’t take any pills, that have no autism,” Trump said.

The Clinic for Special Children in Lancaster was specifically founded in 1989 to help Amish and Mennonite people with these diseases, some of the most notable being a type of dwarfism called Ellis-van Creveld syndrome and metabolic disorders. The Clinic for Special Children declined to comment on the topic of autism in the community, stating that they focus on specific, rare genetic disorders.

Dr Nicole B. Saphier of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center said pregnant women generally are advised to take acetaminophen only under medical supervision, when necessary and at the lowest effective dose But equally important — and missing from Trump’s message — was that untreated fever or severe pain can also pose serious risks to mothers and babies, she said.

“For decades women have endured a paternalistic tone in medicine. We’ve moved past dismissing symptoms as ‘hysteria,’” Saphier, who also is a Fox News medical contributor, wrote in an email.

“The President’s recent comments on Tylenol in pregnancy are a prime example. Advising moderation was sound; delivering it in a patronizing, simplistic way was not.”

Trump is not known for a delicate touch around policy where women are concerned. Ahead of the 2016 election, he erupted over tough questioning by Fox News’ Megyn Kelly, later telling CNN: “You can see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.”

He’s got a special playbook for female opponents that includes put-downs about their appearance, their emotional stability and their intelligence.

Three women also spoke at Monday’s news conference and thanked Trump: Dorothy Fink, the acting assistant secretary at HHS; and Jackie O’Brien and Amanda Rumer, two mothers who said they have autistic children.

EDUCATION

As fearsmount,lawyeraidsimmigrant families

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

Lately,Amy Dudgeon has been hearing from immigrant familiesinLouisiana who say they’re scared to leave their homes. Many have young children who worry theirparents will begone when they get home from school.

Dudgeon is president of the New Neighbor Project, agroup she founded during the pandemic when she saw aneed for accessible English classes for immigrant families in the greater New Orleans area. The group offers online and in-person English and citizenshipclasses 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 adecrease in the number of Spanishspeakingstudents attendingthe group’sclasses. She blames a growing climate of fear stemming from the Trump administration’saggressive crackdown on illegal immigration. This month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that immigration agents can, fornow, stop people based on their race or language.

“We’ve had abig 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 shebegan teaching English learner classes as astudent at the University of Louisville in Kentucky.Many of her studentshad advanced degreesintheir home countries but struggled to find good jobs in the U.S. duetoalanguage barrier She eventually earned alaw degree and workedasanimmigra-

tion lawyer for more than three decades, while alsocoordinating Englishlanguage services for the nonprofit Catholic Charities.

TheTimes-Picayune recently spoke with Dudgeon about how thefederal government’spolicies are affectingstudents from immigrant familiesand what can be done to supportthem.

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

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity

What changes haveyou noticed with the families that your group serves?

We’reseeing adecline in enrollment of Spanish-speaking families in our English learning classes. Families are scared to leave their homes because there’s anot-small chance they could get detained, and kids are scared they’renever going to see their parentsagain.That’straumatic forthem.

I’vealso been worried about doing anykindofpromotion, like ‘Hey,wehave alarge group of immigrants here at this class.’

Butalot of people in our classes, including alot of thekids, are alreadyU.S.citizens; they just needtowork on their English a little bit.

How has the immigration crackdown affected students?

What happens with teenagers whodon’t speak English and who have this kind of trauma is that they become disillusioned. They tendtonot wanttogotoschool, andthey just don’t show up. Then

they get in trouble. Andthese kids are alsodealing with therisk of getting picked up (byimmigration agents).

There have been alot of recent labor law changes,too. Isee 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’swhy it’s so important to makesure they have asupport system at school, and that the school knows about what’s going on with them.

What are you hearing from the collegeagestudents you work with?

We work with around 30 kids each semester.What we’re hearing from them now is that it’sdefinitely adifferent climate.

Iknow recently there have been questions about international students(having their visas revoked),and they were feeling uncomfortable. They had alot of questions: Should Icarry my passport withme? Should Icarry my green card withme? What do IdoifIget stopped? Is it safe to go to this neighborhood? Those are thekinds of questions we’re getting.

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

Ijust tell them that Idon’tthink they need to carry their green card around —ifthey have a driver’slicense, that works.

ButIalso tell studentstodo what makes them feel comfortable. Don’tput yourself in any situation that makes you feel unsafe.

Do you have anyadvice forteachers about how to supportstudents who maybe feeling scared?

Irecently 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 foronline classes for (the New Neighbor Project) is that afamily 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. Thewhole family will be there, and they’re still trying to connect with us. As far as K-12 goes, Idon’t know how schools are going to navigatetaking care of these kids when the environment forthem is so hostile. Ithink public schools’ hands are somewhat tied as faras what they’re able to do. All Ican really do is offer to have students

WE’RE ASKING EXPERTS ACROSS THESTATEHOW TO TACKLE THEBIGGEST CHALLENGES FACINGLOUISIANA SCHOOLS. HAVE

come take our classes.

What resources do you want familiesto 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, someofthe local universities. We also work with mental health professionals and the correctional system,and we’ve always tried to makeresources available to families. If afamily seemslike they’re in trouble or they need anything at all, like help finding health insurance, our organization has agroup of people whoattend our English classes in person, and they talk to those families about where we can refer them.

Email Elyse Carmosino at ecarmosino@theadvocate.com.

Robothelps to combat fear,lonelinessinhospitals

It also helps to combat staffing shortages

BY HALLIE GOLDEN Associated Press

Days after MeaganBrazilSheehan’s6-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia, they were walking down the hallsofUMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center when they ran into Robin the Robot.

“Luca,how are you?” it asked in ahigh-pitched voice programmed to sound like a7-year-old girl. “It’s been awhile.”

Brazil-Sheehan said they had only metthe 4-foot-tall robot with alarge 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 alittle girl as it provides emotional supportat nursing homes and hospital pediatric units while helping combat staffing shortages. Five years after launching in theU.S.,ithas become afamiliar face in 30 health care facilities in California, Massachusetts,New York and Indiana.

“Nurses and medical staff are really overworked, under alot of pressure, and unfortunately,alot of times they don’thave capacityto 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 apart of daily life, it’sfound afootholdinmedical care —providing everything from note-taking during exams to electronic nurses. While heralded by some for the efficiencyit brings,others worry about its impact on patient care.

Robin is about 30% autonomous, whileateamof operators working remotely controls therestunder 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 ableto function independently

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

Making itsrounds

On arecent Friday,astaff member at HealthBridge Children’sHospital in Orange County,California, read off alist of patients she needed Robintovisit, along with the amountoftimeto spend with each one.

‘She brings joytoeveryone,’saysSamantha da Silva, aspeech languagepathologist. ‘She walksdownthe halls, everyone lovestochat withher,say hello.’

Therobot, with asleek whitetriangle-shaped frame that Khachikyan said was designed forhugging, rolled intoaroom witha teenager injured in acar accident

The robot played what it described as its favorite song —“No Fear” by DeJ Loaf —and he dancedalong.In the hallway,Robin cracked up ayoungchild held by her mother when it put onaseries of silly glasses andabig red nose. In another room, the robot played asimplified versionoftic-tac-toewitha patient.

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

“She brings joytoeveryone,” da Silva said. “She walks down thehalls, 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 companionshipthat resemblesa grandchild with agrandparent.

Khachikyan recalled a moment last yearata facility in LosAngeles where a woman was having apanic attack and askedspecifically for the robot.Robin played songsbyher favorite musician and videos of her favorite animal— Elvis Presley and puppies —untilshe had calmed down

Butwith the Association of American Medical Colleges projecting that the U.S. will face ashortageofup to 86,000 physicians in the next 11years, Khachikyan’s visionfor Robin goes far beyond this typeofsupport

He said they’re working to make the robot able to measurepatients’ vitals and check to see how they’re

doing and then send that information to their medical team.Long-termplans include designing Robin to help elderly patientschange their clothes and go to the bathroom

“Our goalistodesign the next evolution of Robin;that Robin will take more and more responsibilitiesand becomeeven moreessential part of care delivery,” Khachikyan said.

He clarified that it’s not aboutreplacing healthcare workers but aboutfilling in thegaps in the workforce.

At UMassMemorial Children’s, the robot is very much apart of ateam of support forpatients. WhenLuca needed an IV after notgetting one in awhile, Micaela Cotas,acertified child life specialist came in with the robot and showed him an IV andwhatwas abouttohappen, andthenRobin played acartoon of it getting an IV put in.

“It just kind of helps show that Robin has gone through thoseprocedures as well, just like apeer,” Cotas said. Findingits niche

Robin was developed by Khachikyan while he was gettinghis Ph.D.Hesaid growing up in asingle-parenthousehold in Armenia had been lonely,soyears later he wanted to build a type of robot that could act as aperson’sfriend.

Developerstested it in a variety of industriesbefore an investorsuggestedthat pediatric hospitals would be agood fit because of the stress and loneliness children often feel.

“Thatwas kind of an aha moment,” he said. “Wedecided, OK, let’stry it.”

They had successintroducing it at apediatric hospital in Armenia and by 2020 launcheda pilotprogram at UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital.

Since Robin was created, its personality and character have changedsignificantly basedonthe responsesfrom people it interactswith.

Khachikyan gave the example of Robin’sanswer 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.

Robin was designed by users.”

It’sareminderwewalkpasteverydayinournewsroom. TheFirstAmendmentguidesusandforgesourbelief thatreportingthetruth–forourreaders,forourcity–isa responsibilitywemustfulfillnomatterthecost.

We’reaskingourreadersandtheNewOrleanscommunityatlargetohelpusreach our $100,000 fundraisinggoalbytheendoftheyear.Yourtax-deductibledonation goessolelytoourpublicservicereporters,editorsandphotographersinthefield.

NOLA.COM | Sunday, September 28, 2025 1bn

Early voting started Saturday at 8:30 a.m at four locations in New Orleans including the Algiers

checks his watch as he waits for the courthouse doors to open.

LINES FORM FOR EARLY VOTING

N.O. residents

flock to the polls

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

New Orleans residents flocked to the polls Saturday for the first day of early voting, forming lines outside of polling stations before they even opened to cast their ballot for mayor, sheriff and City Council ahead of the Oct. 11 municipal primary

The race to succeed Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who is term-limited and can’t seek reelection, has drawn the most attention this election cycle, and among more than a dozen voters interviewed Saturday, many said they were eager for the change in leadership in the city’s top job.

“The last four years wasn’t good,” said Algiers resident Nedra Fisher, 70, adding that Cantrell was “fabulous” during her first term, but then, “I don’t know what happened.”

Nearly a dozen candidates are vying to be New Orleans’ next mayor, though in terms of polling and fundraising, the race has been dominated by three contenders: City Council Vice President Helena Moreno, District E council member Oliver Thomas and state Sen. Royce Duplessis.

“This is a turning point for the city of New Orleans,” said Algiers resident Benjamin Pool, III, 42, who voted for Thomas. “I definitely believe in second

chances, and I also believe that no one is going to be for New Orleans like someone that’s from New Orleans,” he said.

Uptown resident Lisa Miller, 62, said she hasn’t been this excited to vote since President Barack Obama was on the ballot.

“What do you want to know? Who am I voting for? Helena Moreno,” she said, after spotting a TimesPicayune reporter “I think she’s really about keeping people here and moving us forward.”

Miller said she voted for Cantrell twice but was “happy to see her go.”

Garden District resident Alshey Baia, 41, said voters are “lucky” this mayoral election to have “multiple choices of people that can really lead this city,” adding

that she’d be happy to see either Moreno or Duplessis win.

Other voters were less enthusiastic about their choices.

“I’m not very excited to vote for a particular candidate,” said Robert Hixon.

The 40-year-old Lakeview resident said he was voting for the “most tolerable of the group.” He didn’t share who that was.

In addition to mayor, the Oct. 11 ballot also includes races for city council, sheriff, assessor, the clerk of Criminal District Court and an amendment to the parish’s home rule charter Residents can cast their ballot at any one of the city’s four early voting locations, regardless of where they live, through Oct. 4, excluding Sunday The polls

are open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Leslie Bouie, who chairs the Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee, lives in Gentilly but often votes early at the Algiers Courthouse on the West Bank, where she grew up. “It’s a good time for me to come back and reconnect with the community that I grew up in. It’s hard to walk two feet without seeing somebody you know,” she said, just before a friend pulled over and got out of her car to greet her Rose Palmer, who lives in Carrolton, voted early at City Hall to “get it out of the way,” adding that she’ll be busy on Oct. 11 working the polls as an election

Jefferson schools turn to remote teachers

Students will be taught math, English in virtual classes

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer

Hundreds of Jefferson Parish students will be taught math and English by virtual teachers this school year as the district uses online instructors to fill open positions.

The Jefferson Parish school district will pay Texas-based Proximity Learning $523,000 to provide 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 a dozen schools will take the online classes, which could be taught by teachers hundreds of miles away

The district reported 70 teacher vacancies in August, a common problem for school systems across the country that have long grappled with teacher shortages. To help fill those open positions, some school districts have turned to vir-

St. Tammany Chamber PAC, Cooper spar over budget

Group releases findings on ‘misleading budget practices’

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

In the wake of St. Tammany Parish government’s failed criminal justice tax initiative last March, parish officials have launched investigation after investigation into government finances as they look around for long-term funding for the courts, jail and District Attorney’s Office.

The Parish Council has its DOGE-like Efficiency Committee. And northshore District Attorney Collin Sims helped organize a group of business people searching for revenue streams.

Now, the Chamber PAC, the political arm of the St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce, says it, too, has formed a task force and in a news release this week cited Parish President Mike Cooper’s administration for “misleading budget practices, wasteful spending, and questionable contracts.”

The Chamber PAC says the preliminary results of its investigation “raise significant concerns about transparency, fiscal responsibility, and the administration’s communication with the public regarding parish finances.”

Jefferson Parish businessman Joseph Marcello dies at 83

He was one of the largest landowners on the West Bank

BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer

Joseph C. Marcello, a businessman and landowner who built a Jefferson Parish real estate empire and a reputation as a quiet philanthropist, has died. His death, on Sept 17, was confirmed by his family, who declined to disclose the cause. He was 83 Marcello amassed a real estate

portfolio of thousands of acres of land across the region, including the Metairie Centre office building near Interstate 10, Pier 90 Marina in St Charles Parish and the site of the John Alario Jr Sports Complex, set to open soon Marcello also participated in some of the biggest land transfers in the West Bank’s history, including the donation of land for Avondale’s Churchill Technology and Business Park where government agencies spent tens

of millions of dollars developing the Jefferson Economic Development Commission’s headquarters and conference center, the Patrick F. Taylor Science and Technology Academy and Delgado Community College’s River City campus Marcello’s family owned much of the land on the West Bank in the Avondale area for decades. His father was Carlos Marcello, reputed to be the head of the New Orleans mafia

Though his father, who died in 1993, was well-known for his alleged underworld associations, Joseph C. Marcello stayed out of the spotlight and distanced him-

self from organized crime.

“My name is Marcello, and I’m going to live with that the rest of my life,” he said while testifying in a civil lawsuit in 1997, when Jefferson Parish was trying to close his landfill. “But I’ve never been arrested and I’ve never been charged with anything.”

In a 1995 letter to The TimesPicayune, he said his extended family included over 200 people who were “business and professional people, students and housewives. We work hard, pay our taxes and are responsible members of our communities.”

“Like other Americans, we have a moral and legal right to be

judged as individuals,” the letter read.

Born in 1942, Marcello attended Holy Cross High School and the University of New Orleans His early career included ownership of several prominent businesses, including Broussard’s Restaurant in the French Quarter, Pelican Tomato Co. and Bubba’s Produce. He also became an owner of Mosca’s, the famed Italian restaurant near Westwego. In more recent decades, his focus shifted to real estate, particularly his holdings in the Avondale area. He sold the tract of land

tual instruction.

Many parents and students criticized remote teaching during the pandemic which they said was less engaging and effective than in-person instruction. But proponents say that virtual teachers can be a vital 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 Jefferson Parish School Board member Clay Moise.

Vrtual teachers

Jefferson Parish schools first began contracting with Proximity in 2021, when districts across Louisiana were struggling to retain educators after many left the profession during the COVID-19 pandemic due to low wages and burnout.

This semester, Proximity is providing the district with four full-time Algebra 1 teachers instructing 208 students across 16 schools, as well as five full-time English 1 teachers instructing 243 students across 15 schools, the district’s chief 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 teach those courses.

“Proximity helps us expand advanced offerings in a way that keeps students challenged and engaged,” she said in an email.

Louisiana schools reported nearly 1,200 teacher vacancies last year. In addition to Jefferson Parish, at least two other Louisiana school systems East Baton Rouge and St. Helena — have contracted with Proximity to help fill those openings.

Proximity Learning

President Evan Erdberg said his company, which uses only certified teachers, helps districts avoid relying on substitutes or inexperienced teachers

“What happens in a lot of classrooms is they just put a sub 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 able to find the best teacher anywhere in the country,” he added, and place them in schools over video.

Students taught by a Proximity teacher attend class in their regular school building, where lessons are livestreamed into classrooms. With the help of an in-person facilitator, the remote teachers use video conferencing, screen sharing and realtime messaging to interact with students.

Because its teachers are based across the country, Proximity pays for them to complete the certification process in the states where they are hired. They are paid based on experience with salaries similar to other educators in their district.

MARCELLO

Continued from page 1B

“If we can’t get enough teachers, then this assures us that we can still have quality teachers in front of these kids,” Moise, the school board member, said, “even though it may be on screen.”

Seeing results

An expanding body of research suggests that students who take online classes experience both benefits and challenges, including reduced engagement for some students and lower test scores.

A 2019 study of Florida high schoolers who attended brick-and-mortar schools but took some online courses found that students who took courses for the first time saw worse long-term academic results if they attended the class virtually Students in online classes were also less likely to take and pass the next course level.

However, the study also found that students who retook a class virtually after failing it the first time were more likely to take and pass the followup course. Students also tended to receive higher grades in their online classes, though researchers were unable to determine if that was the result of better student performance or easier grading practices.

Students who have completed Proximity courses have also achieved mixed results, according to two available studies that tracked student test scores over the course of two school years.

A 2023 report by researchers at Chicago State University, which Proximity Learning commissioned, looked at students’ test scores in Tennessee’s Memphis-Shelby County School District. The district, one of Proximity’s biggest customers, began partnering with the company in 2018.

According to the study, students in classes led by Proximity teachers in 2021 had higher scores than those in non-Proximity-led classes in eighth grade English and science but performed worse in ninth grade English 1 and biology In 2022, Proximity students scored higher than their peers in ninth grade Algebra 1 and English 1 and 2, but performed worse in ninth grade biology In a separate evaluation conducted by the district, students of Proximity’s virtual teachers were found to perform “significantly lower” on 2022-23 end-of-course assessments in English, Algebra I geometry and biology than students in traditional classes, though those students also had higher rates of “A,” “B” and “C” grades than their peers with in-person teachers.

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

Email Elyse Carmosino at ecarmosino@ theadvocate.com

CHAMBER

Continued from page 1B

Cooper, meanwhile, says the group has “gone rogue” and disputes nearly all of the Chamber PAC’s findings. Some Parish Council members also disagreed with some of the findings.

Cooper said in a letter addressed to “community leaders” that Chamber PAC’s actions raise “serious concerns about transparency, accountability and the genuine intent of the Chamber PAC’s leadership.”

Cooper will present his proposed 2026 budget to the Parish Council on Oct. 2. Sims, the northshore judges and jail have been told to expect cuts in funding from the parish.

Chamber PAC Chairman Scott Delacroix said the timing was intentional, explaining in an interview that the group believed it was “important for this preliminary but solid information to get out ahead of the parish president’s official presentation of the 2026 budget.”

‘Stark difference’

After St. Tammany vot-

ers rejected five different tax propositions to fund the parish’s criminal justice system in recent years, parish officials came up with a plan last spring to rededicate a portion of an existing 2% sales tax used to fund infrastructure projects

That tax, the parish said during the campaign and in the ballot language, was expected to generate around $89 million and if the rededication passed, 17% of that could be used to fund the criminal division of Sims’ office, the 22nd Judicial District judges and the parish jail. Parish government is required to fund those things.

But voters shot the proposal down.

Delacroix says sales tax revenue figures were “inflated” by the parish. The actual number the parish receives from the sales tax is closer to $75 million, he said in news release.

But some parish officials say the Chamber PAC’s numbers are inaccurate. Cooper said the parish government does receive $90 million from the sales tax. But $14 million of that goes to municipalities in the parish for infrastructure projects and

$1 million goes to the sheriff for tax collections, he said.

When the council placed the sales tax rededication measure on the ballot, its bond counsel, Foley & Judell, told them to reference the gross revenue figure — the roughly $90 million — as opposed to the net amount that remains after the distributions, according to Parish Council member Arthur Laughlin.

The Chamber PAC also released findings related to cost allocations, that is, the indirect or overhead costs for the infrastructure projects. Parish government spokesperson Michael Vinsanau said in an interview that some of the tax’s revenue does go toward managing infrastructure projects, versus directly toward asphalt or digging a ditch.

But whereas Delacroix said 70% of the dedicated funds went toward cost allocations, Cooper said that number is actually 6%. “A stark difference,” Cooper said in his letter

The Chamber PAC is using a “forensic expert” to look through some of the parish’s public records, Delacroix said The organization expects to release a full report

soon, the news release said. Parish Council member Jeff Corbin, who disagreed with some of the group’s findings, questioned its decision to release them before completing the investigation. “Given the 2026 Parish budget process is currently in process, a letter announcing the Chamber PAC’s ongoing review of the budget process, absent any interim conclusions, might have been more appropriate,” Corbin said in a statement. Cooper meanwhile, said Delacroix “cherry-picked” findings “to align with his political beliefs.” He didn’t elaborate on what those beliefs are. In the 2023 president’s election, the Chamber PAC supported Cooper’s opponent, Greg Cromer “This has nothing to do with our Chamber PAC not supporting President Cooper in his reelection campaign,” Delacroix said in an interview “This is all about the type of government we believe the citizens of St. Tammany Parish demand.”

Email Willie Swett at willie.swett@theadvocate. com.

VOTING

Continued from page 1B

commissioner Sidney Regis, 57, cast his ballot at the city’s Voting Machine Warehouse on Chef Menteur Highway after getting off the graveyard shift at the nearby Wendy’s. “I just hope we get somebody that will do good for the community,” he said.

Michael Turner, 48, said he hopes whoever is elected “puts New Orleans first,” adding that he’s tired of New Orleans East, where he lives, being put on the “back burner.”

Park Timbers resident Lonnie Douglass, 64, said she’s hoping for “huge change” from the city’s next leaders.

“We want New Orleans to be great again — but not in that way,” she said.

The early voting locations include City Hall, 1300 Perdido St.; the Algiers Courthouse, 225 Morgan St.; the

Voting Machine Warehouse, 8870 Chef Menteur Highway; and Lake Vista Community Center, 6500 Spanish Fort Blvd. A door hanger distributed

by the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice incorrectly listed the Treme Recreation Community Center as a new early voting location. The group’s executive

Email

at bpaterson@theadvocate. com.

to fortify the area against storms. Last year, he sold another 50 acres in the Fairfield area to a landscape architect from St. Rose. Soon, Jefferson Parish

will finish work on an outdoor recreation complex for competitive youth sports on $3.1 million of land bought by the state from Marcello, which officials hope will provide a shot in the arm for economic growth in the area

“With every real estate move, he (Marcello) didn’t just ask if it made economic sense. He asked if it was good for the community,” said Mike Sherman, his attorney. “If it didn’t meet both of those tests, he wouldn’t do the deal.” Those who knew Marcello described him as quiet and humble, even when it came

to his philanthropic ventures — a man who “wasn’t looking for attention” and “didn’t want any awards,” said his real estate broker Don Randon.

“The guy had a great sense of business,” Randon said. “He was an honorable, professional, ethical, talented businessman. We were great friends, and I terribly miss him.”

Marcello is survived by his wife of 45 years, Gail McCarley Marcello; his sons, Carlos, Steven and Deano Marcello; and his daughter, Dayna Marcello Morvant, who Sherman said will take over the busi-

ness for her father He is also survived by his grandson Jake Morvant; and his sisters, Louis Hampton, Florence Black and Jacqueline Dugas.

LOTTERY FRIDAY, SEPT 26, 2025

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

Assaf, Paula Boese,Alfred Caluda,Mercedes Campbell, Helen Catalano, Florence EdwardsSr.,Sylvester Ellsworth, Rita ErmingerSr.,James Fazzio,Frank Gallegos,Michael

Hebert,Onezime

HughesJr.,Daniel

Kiech, Yvonne

King Jr., Frederick

Lambour,Mark

Larose Rives, Lydia

Letellier, Jean

Louviere, Pamela

Margavio,Charles

Miller, Gail

Murphy,Theresa Ouder, Ruth Roan,Linda Saia,Ann

Salassi,Terry Smith,Roger

Talbert, Latunga

Tate,Jan

Turner,Renette

EJefferson

Garden of Memories

ErmingerSr.,James Tate,Jan LA Muhleisen

HughesJr.,Daniel Letellier, Jean Leitz-Eagan

Boese,Alfred NewOrleans

Greenwood

Catalano, Florence

Ellsworth, Rita Margavio,Charles Murphy,Theresa JacobSchoen

Saia,Ann

Lake Lawn Metairie Salassi,Terry Majestic Mortuary Talbert, Latunga River Parish

RoselynnFuneral

Turner,Renette St Bernard St Bernard

Caluda,Mercedes Kiech, Yvonne

St Tammany

EJ Fielding

Assaf, Paula Fazzio,Frank Roan,Linda Honaker

Ouder, Ruth West Bank

Mothe

Hebert,Onezime Louviere, Pamela

Robinson FH

EdwardsSr.,Sylvester

Gallegos,Michael Miller, Gail

Takentoo soon from familyand friends, Paula KreilkampAssaf departed thisworld on September 14, 2025. Shewas born on December23, 1946, in Rochester,Minnesota,the third of eightchildrenof Dr. BernardL.Kreilkamp and ReneeRosenberger She wasblessedtohave been born into amusical family, where Paulaand her sisterslearned to sing inharmony with Reneeac‐companyingonpiano.The sisters were active in en‐tertaininglocal Catholic groupsatsocialfunctions inTwinFalls,Idaho.Paula met herfuturehusband David AssafIII on ablind dateatLoyolaUniversity while shewas studying music therapy. They were engaged fora year anda halfwhile shevolunteered withthe Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Omak,Washing‐ton on theColvilleReserva‐tion, andDavid,who was drafted,servedinthe Air Force andAir National Guard.Theyweremarried atSt. DominicCatholic Church in New Orleanson July12, 1969. En routeto Coloradofor theirhoney‐moon,theywatched the moon landing, fittingly! The young couple settled inBaton Rouge, where Paula immediatelyjoineda local choirand found vol‐unteerworkata local Catholic orphanage, where she played guitar andsang for thechildren. In 1971 theywereblessed with their firstchild,David IV Overthe next twodecades, theywelcomedBernard, Megan,William,and Rachel. Somehow, she managed,witha coopera‐tivehusband/babysitter, to beactiveinmusical the‐ateratBaton RougeLittle Theater (aka Theatre Baton Rouge),and was awarded Best Actressina Musical for"Nunsense" in 2000 and Best Supporting Actress in aMusical in 2012 for "Something's Afoot" She also participated in the Baton RougeMusic Club Chorus, travelingtolocal nursing homestoperform short musicalproductions thatshe scripted. Paula was equallyaccomplished invoice andguitaraccom‐paniment, which made her a valuable resource to local parishes.She wasin‐vited to be thecantorand accompanistfor the weekly Diocesan Mass pre-recordedat the Catholic Life Center in Baton Rouge forseveral years.She also traveled to St. Gabrieltocantorand playfor theirSaturdayvigil Masses, andSundaymorn‐ingsshe made thetrek acrossthe rivertodothe sameat Immaculate Heart ofMaryCatholicChurch in Maringouin.Ontop of all this, shestarted thechil‐dren'sliturgy programat the 9:30 Mass, beganthe youth groupchoir forthe 6:00pmSundayMass, and ran thepreschool music program forseveral years, all at St.ThomasMorein Baton Rouge. Eventually, these musicalactivities transitionedinto fillingthe familyneed fora full-time nanny forher localgrand‐child.Whenthe nannygig ran itscourse, andall her chicksand grand-chicks fled thenest, Paulaand her husband joined aprison ministry, coordinating and performingthe musicfor monthly MassesatSt. Tammany Parish Jail,with support from St.Peter Parish andSt. Joseph Abbey, andjoinedbyFa‐therPeter from theAbbey. In thewakeofHurricane Katrina,Paula welcomed her blindfather-in-law, whose house wasinun‐dated in Lakeview.Her fondest memory of this timewas earlymorning rosariesonthe patiosur‐rounded by flowersand birdsong. Later, shetrav‐eledtoSeattle to be with her parentsintheir nursing home, where shesupple‐mentedtheir dietswith chocolate confectionsand providedher father with his favorite breakfast, softboiledeggsoncrackers. Onceagain,manyrosaries wereprayedtogether. After herfatherBernard passedaway, sheinvited her mother Renee, who was sufferingwithdemen‐tia andfeltlostwithout her husband,tocomelivein Baton Rougewithher and David.Eventually, Renee would move with them to Covington,where they en‐joyed going to flower shows andattending chil‐dren'sballetand story timeatthe library, because she lovedbeing around ba‐biesand children.Every morningRenee expected a

fire in thehearth– no mat‐ter theseason! –and cof‐fee andbiscotti until breakfastwas ready. It was ateameffort, but Paula andDavid loved every minute. Paulawas precededindeath by her parents andher sister MaryCowan.She leaves behindher belovedhus‐bandof56years,David AssafIII; children,David AssafIV(Sydney), Bernard Assaf(Stacy),Megan Assaf (Joe),William Assaf(Chris‐tine),and Rachel Aylsworth (Jason); and eight grandchildren, Simon Assaf, TimothyAssaf, Kirby Assaf, Nathan Assaf, Eliza‐bethAssaf, Noah Assaf, LaurenAssaf, andbabyJu‐lianAylsworth from Boston, whomshe was blessedtoholdbeforeshe wenthometoher Lord.In lieuof flowers, Paulaand David requestdonations to St. Joseph Abbey(https:// www.saintjosephabbey. com/donate)and Jefferson PerformingArtsSociety (https://www.jpas.org/ donate). Relativesand friends areinvited to at‐tendthe memorial service onSaturday, October4, 2025, from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. at Mary Queen ofPeace Catholic Church, 1501 West Causeway Ap‐proach, Mandeville, Louisiana,withWords of Remembrance beginning at12:30 p.m. andMassat 1:00p.m.Interment will fol‐low in St.JosephAbbey Cemetery, 75376 River Road, St.Benedict, Louisiana.E.J.FieldingFu‐neral Home of Covington, Louisiana,ishonored to be entrusted with Mrs. Assaf’sfuneral arrange‐ments.Her familyinvites you to sharethoughts, memories, andcondo‐lencesbysigning an online guestbook at www.ejfield ingfh.com

Alfred Joseph Boese, age 88, of NewOrleans,LA passedawayonThursday, September 25, 2025. Alfred was born on November 14, 1936 in NewOrleans,LAto Matilda BourgeoisBoese and Alfred Herman Ludwig Boese.Alfredwas pre‐ceded in deathbyhis par‐ents, Matildaand Alfred Boese;his sister,Mary Boese Chappetta;his brother-in-law, VincentF Tortorich,Sr.;and his nieces, Donna Tortorich and TammyTortorich.Sur‐vivorsinclude hisbeloved wifeof57years,SeraTor‐torichBoese;his sister-inlaw,Rosalie Tortorich Boudreaux;his brothersin-law, AnthonyTortorich Jr. andJacques Boudreaux; his nieces andnephews Vincent F. Tortorich, Jr., Melissa TortorichAdam‐cewicz, TashaMunsen Robinson, TanyaMunsen Desalvo,Karen Hughes Muller, Debbie Hamilton Bossier,Kathy Hughes Fruge,Christine Tortorich and MichaelTortorich.Al‐fredservedhis countryin the United States Marine Corps during theKorean Conflictand wasa member ofthe American Legion Post307. Alfred lovedhis familyand hiscommunity Heloved to reminisce about growingupinNew Orleans playingstickball in the streets. As an adulthe gavebacktohis commu‐nitybyserving underprivi‐leged children andadults. His selflessnesswas a wonderful traitand his deep love will be missedby his familyand friends. Rel‐ativesand friendsofthe familyare invitedtoattend a Mass of ChristianBurial atLeitz-Eagan Funeral Home, 4747 Veterans MemorialBlvd.,Metairie, LAonTuesday,September 30, 2025 at 1:00 pm.Visita‐tionwillbeheldfrom10:00 amuntil 1:00 pm.inter‐mentwillfollowinSt. Vin‐centdePaulMausoleum, New Orleans, LA.Inlieuof flowers, please consider a donationinhonor of Alfred toChildren'sHospitalof New Orleansortothe Southeast LouisianaWar VeteransHome.

Mercedes “Des”V Caludapassedaway peacefullyonMonday, September 22, 2025 at the age of 91. Her finaldays werespent surrounded by familyand friendsthat weresodeartoher.She was thecherished wife of 68years to thelateDaniel S.CaludaSr. Loving mother ofJaniceCaludaPerdue (Preston),Danny Caluda (Jodie),Linda Caluda Jack‐son andConnieCaluda Brown (Mike).Daughterof the late George &Eloise Villanueva.Sisterofthe lateGeorgeVillanueva and Lanny Villanueva.Grand‐motherofthe late JonathanCaluda. Sheis alsosurvivedand fondly rememberedbyher 11 grandchildren,12greatgrandchildren,along with manynieces, nephews, cousins anddearfriends Des wasborninViolet, LA and spenther life sur‐rounded by thebeautyand communities of Violet and Braithwaite.A devoted mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friendtosomanywonder‐ful people,Des livedher lifethrough thesimple, joyfulmoments that kept her closetothe people she loved.Whether it wasshar‐ing amealwithfamilyand friends,enjoyinga lucky day at thecasinoplaying her favorite slot machines ordivingintoa challenging puzzle, Desfound happi‐nessinher simple plea‐sures.Her fondness for cookingwas well known, but even that paledincom‐parison to thedeep love she held forher grandchil‐drenand great-grandchil‐dren, who shedelighted in spoiling. Deshad aspecial way of making holidays feel warmer andmore memorable with herhome‐madepecan logs andba‐nananut bread. Shecher‐ished familygatherings, where laughter wasas abundantasthe stories thatweresharedand food thatwas enjoyed. Herloy‐alty, compassion anddedi‐cationtoher lovedones werethe foundation of everything shedid.She will

be remembered notjustfor her beautifullaugh and warmspirit, butfor the special wayshe made oth‐ers feel whenaround her. Des wasa quietexample of how to live with grace, kindnessand agenerous heart.Restinpeace,dear Des.You taught us that faith,hopeand love cando amazing things.Although you will be so deeply missed, your loving spirit willliveonineachofus who were luckyenoughto knowyou.Relatives and friends areinvited to at‐tenda visitation to be held atOur Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church,2621 Colo‐nialBlvd.,Violet, LA on Tuesday,September 30, from9:30a.m 12:00 p.m. followedbya FuneralMass inDes’memorybeginning at12:00 p.m. Shewillbe laidtoeternal rest with her beloved Daniel,inSt. Bernard Catholic Ceme‐tery. In memory of Des, pleaseconsidermakinga donationtothe charityof yourchoice.

HelenCampbell, age81, aresident of Harahan, died peacefully on September 24, 2025. Born Helen Dorothy Bartholomew on January 9, 1944, she was raisedinNew Orleans and graduatedfromWarren Easton High School in 1961. Shewas thedevoted wife of thelateDouglas A. Campbellfor morethan 50 years. Helenhad been a residentofThe Blake at Colonial Clubsince 2023, when she wasdiagnosed with dementia.The family thanks the staff of the Blake, especially thestaff of thememory care unit, andSerenityHospice for thelovingcaretheyprovided to "MissHelen." Helenissurvived by her daughter, DonnaCampbell Conrad (Marc), and son, David Campbell; two belovedgrandchildren,

JustinConrad and Rayne Campbell; daughter-in-law Cory Meranta;brother, Robert L. Bartholomew (Lena); and nieces, nephews, extendedfamily, andfriends.Her brother, HenryD.Bartholomew (lateKatherine), preceded herindeath. At Helen's request, herbody wasdonated for the advancementof medical education andresearch. Visitation at St Mary Magdalen Catholic Church,6425 West Metairie Avenue, on Friday, October 17, 2025 at noon, witha Memorial Mass following at 1:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider adonation in memory of Helen to theDementia Societyof America or theAmerican Diabetes Association.

Catalano,FlorencePetite

Florence Petite Catalano passedawaypeacefully on September 23, 2025, at the age of 97. Devotedmother ofRonaldand Janice Cata‐lano, mother-in-lawto Heather Pattee Catalano, precededindeath by her beloved husbandPeter Lourdes Catalano,her par‐ents, Mary Ancona Petite Matranga, andstepdad JosephMatranga. Florence was anativeNew Orlean‐ian.She graduatedfrom RedemptoristGirls’High, alsofondlyknown as Third and Prytania.Tillher death,she andtwo of her lifetimefriends,Ellen and Imelda,datingbackto grammarschool, kept in touch.She wasemployed atStratin andBaldwin until the birthofher firstchild, after which shebecamea homemaker.She later workedwiththe TimesPicayune.Florencewas ex‐ceptionally devotedtoher familyand husband. She married theloveofher life and shared 62 wonderful years of marriage.They had many good friends, happy memories,and en‐joyed traveling. Aladyof great fortitude, strength, and grace, shetookpride inher appearance.She dressedmeticulously, often garneringcompli‐ments from thosearound herfor both herinnerand

rking Mixer- meet nonprofit oking forboard members! it Eligible lable rovided

4B ✦ Sunday, September 28, 2025 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune outerqualities.Florence was always well “put to‐gether”.She andher hus‐bandenjoyed dancingand wereactivemembers of School HouseSquares,BarNone, Spinning Rounds, RhythmRounders, and Happy Pairs. Highly com‐petitiveand enthusiastic she played canasta and dominoesatHumanaand The Pink Houseand en‐gaged in numerous games withfriends in Metairie She wasa member of The ThursdayNight Ladies Club. Shewas aloyal and faithfulservant of God. Her dedicationtoher familyre‐mainedsteadfastthrough‐out herlife. Shewillbe deeply missedand forever rememberedbyall who wereblessedtohave known her. Thefamilyex‐tends theirheartfelt thanksand appreciation to BobbieFoster, herlongtimecaregiver.Wealsoex‐press gratitudetoDana Currey-Falgout, Cathy Puglia, PattyAguliar,and the staff of NotreDame Hospice fortheir thought‐ful care.Words cannot ex‐press theesteemed,won‐derfulDr. Alan Yaeger,who performed miracles keep‐ing herwithusthese last few years. Relativesand friends areinvited to visit Greenwood FuneralHome, located at 5200Canal Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70124,on Wednesday,October 1, 2025, starting at 11:00 a.m. A Mass will follow thevisi‐tationat1:00PM. Thebur‐ial will be in Greenwood Cemetery. We also invite you to shareyour thoughts, fond memories, and condolencesonlineat www.greenwoodfh.com Your shared memories will helpuscelebrate Flo‐rence’s life andkeep her memoryalive

SylvesterEdwards Sr passedawaypeacefullyat his home in NewOrleans onThursday, September 18, 2025. He was87years young.Sylvester wasborn onNovember22,1937, in lttaBenaMississippi.He was aresidentofNew Or‐leans.Sylvester wasthe son of Mr.&Mrs.Robert and Lillie MaeEdwards fromlttaBenaMississippi Bro.Edwards waspre‐ceded in deathbyhis Par‐entsRobertEdwards and LillieMae Dixon, Step-Fa‐therWillieDixon.Three Daughters MirandaEd‐wards (Leonard), DebraEd‐wards andVanessa Ed‐wards.Brother Woodrow Dixon (Dean),Emmett Ed‐wards (Gerria),RobertEd‐wards Jr.Sisters Lena Mae Dixon,Janet Edwards Brooks, Ruth AnnEdwards, Mother-ln-Law EddieMae Hall, Father-ln-LawWalter HallSr; Sister-ln-LawLillie Mae Southhall, Brother-lnLaw CharlesAnderson, Louis Hall,Arthur Hall,ExWife Lula MaeEdwards Granddaughter Precious Phenice Edwardsand Sonln-LawFredrickLeonard Sr Brother Edwardsleavesto cherish hismemorieshis Wife DorothyEdwards, two daughters Lisa Quinn Green (Richard), andKizzy Edwards,fourchildrenby his ex-wife, SylvesterEd‐wards Jr (Gail),LuvoneEd‐wards Perry (Bernard), Perry B. Edwards (Paulette), andBilly Ed‐wards (Deongelas). Fatherin-LawofCharles Maysrsis and BettyDixon Anderson, Bro.Edwards also leavebe‐hind18Grandchildren Con‐trina Edwards, Bernard Perry Jr., LaShanda Salaam,Kimberley Perry Perry Jones, Roslyn Ed‐wards,PaulEdwards,Billy Edwards Jr.Michael Ed‐wards,Chentee Lomax, Tatanisha Jackson, Ter‐rance Leonard, Fredrick Leonard Jr Brittany Quinn, WhitneyQuinn Burton (Mark), KaiMay,Charles May lV,34Great Grandchil‐drenJordanTompson IndiaDevlin, TariqSalaam, Saniyah Salaam,Asashia Perry,Jayce Perry,Darius Wells,Bernard Perry, McKenzieRichardson, KayleePerry,QuincyJack‐son,JosiahJackson,Cree Jones,Silas Jones, Tajay Edwards,AdrianEdwards AdriannaEdwards,T'maj Gregoire,Z'yarla Edwards, Taj'alaya Edwards, Ahmaj Edwards,ZarionDior, Ty'RonEdwards,TalayaEd‐wards,Aniya Jackson, Asia Jackson,GageJackson KodyDixon,Andre Leonard Jr.,AndreaLeonard,9 Great Great Grandchildren Eva'Neigh Freeman, Eedyn Freeman,Prodigy Perry, Mabel wells,Olivia Richardson, Kaylee perry, ZaleahDoir, Cortez Carter AceynEdwards,and Great

granddogsGizmo Quinn and DracoPerry anda host ofnieces, nephewsand other family andfriends Relatives andfriends of the familyare invitedtoattend the funeralservice on Tuesday,September 30, 2025 at NewGenesis Bap‐tistChurch locatedat3316 SecondSt. NewOrleans LA 70125. Thevisitationwill begin at 9AMfollowedbya 10AMservice.PastorMal‐colmPutmanwillofficiate. Intermentwillbeprivate Funeralplanningentrusted toRobinsonFamilyFuneral Home(504) 208-2119. For onlinecondolences please visit www.robinsonfamilyf uneralhome.com

Ellsworth, Rita Jo Neary

Rita Jo Neary Ellsworth passedawaypeacefullyin her home in Gretna on Sep‐tember21, 2025. Rita Jo was born in Johnstown, PennsylvaniaonAugust14, 1934. Shewas preceded in death by herbeloved hus‐band, WilliamHanson Ellsworth,her parents, Michael JamesNeary and Kathryn Martin Neary, as wellasher siblings:Lois Neary,James Neary, Patri‐cia Leblanc andEileen Melancon. Rita Jo is sur‐vived by hersix adoring children: MaryBeth Rittiner (Greg), KathyShawGal‐lagher(Ken),Deborah Lonker(Elliot), Susan Carazo(Ron),Alex Ellsworth (Michelle) and Michele Ellsworth. Shewas the loving grandmotherof Katie,Caroline, Gregory, Mark, Jack,Emily, Jonathan, Charles, Christ‐ian,Caroline, Ashley and Alexis. Rita Jo also had several great-grandchil‐drenand many nieces and nephews.RitaJobecamea residentofNew Orleansat the ageoftwelveand grad‐uated from St.Joseph Academy in 1952. Sheat‐tendednursing school at Charity School of Nursing and graduatedin1955. She workedasa registered nurse priortobecominga devoted wife andmother. OnNovember9,1957, Rita Jomarried theloveofher life, William Hanson Ellsworth.She andher Billy” remained happily married anddevoted to eachother forsixty three years.She wasa tremen‐dousassettohim notonly asa wonderfulhomemaker and mother to theirsix children, butalsowiththe socialdemands required of her as thewifeofa suc‐cessful businessmaninthe Insuranceand Surety Busi‐ness. Shewas abrilliant conversationalist andex‐ceptionally well versed on a multitudeofsubjects. She wasa favoredat‐tendeeatcountless dinner parties andconventions.In addition to beingpassion‐ate abouther husband and her family,RitaJowas also a devout Catholic.Her faithfulnessand devotion was evidentinhow she lived hereverydaylifeand inthe many civicand reli‐gious groups shesoac‐tivelysupported.RitaJo was aEucharistic minister and lector at St.Cletus Parishand attended mass daily.She participated in manyother Catholic orga‐nizations includingLegatus New Orleans. Shewas also a recipientofthe honorary award of theorder of St Louis IX Medallion. Her civic organizationsin‐cludedchapter member of Les DamesofTimberlane, Chapter AV of thePEO Sis‐terhood,TimberlaneGar‐den Club,and amemberof MagnoliaJVFC. Rita Jo madelifelongfriends in these organizations. Rita Jowas aremarkable woman in everyway.She had arich, full andblessed life. Sheloved to travel and saw much of theworld withher husband.She was blessedthather largefam‐ily livedclose by andshe saw them regularly. She lived outher faithevery singleday andalthough her lovedoneswillmiss her terribly,theytakegreat comfort in knowingthat uponher passing, shewent straightintothe loving armsofher “Billy”and of her Lord andSavior, who surelysaid, “Welldone, my good andfaithfulservant.” Welcome home.Services for RitaJowereheldon September 25,2025, at Greenwood FuneralHome, inNew Orleanswitha massfollowing theser‐vices.Wealsoinviteyou to share your thoughts,fond memories, andcondo‐lencesonlineatwww greenwoodfh.com.Your shared memories will help

us celebrateRitaJo’slife and keep hermemory alive will be missedbyall.Inlieu of flowers, contributionsin memoryofMr. Fazzio may bemadetothe Bridge House/Grace Housewww bridgehouse.org.Relatives and friendsare invitedto attend theFuneralMassat St. FrancisXavierCatholic Church,444 Metairie Road, Metairie, LA 70005 on Wednesday,October 1, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. with vis‐itation at church on Wednesday beginningat 10:00 am,celebration of life tofollow. E.J. Fielding Fu‐neral Home hasbeen en‐trusted with funeral arrangements. TheFazzio familyinvites youtoshare thoughts, fondestmemo‐ries, andcondolences on‐lineatE.J.FieldingFuneral HomeGuest Book at www ejfieldingfh.com

Erminger Sr., James Edward

JamesEdwardErminger, Sr.,age 66, passedaway peacefullyathis home on Friday, September19, 2025 BornonJuly16, 1959, in New Orleans, LA,hewas the belovedson of thelate Richard andRitaErminger. James wasa proudgradu‐ate of Pyrtania Private School,where he remained activeasanAlumnus throughouthis life.Hecon‐tinuedhis educationat SoutheasternLouisiana Universitywhere he played football, atestament to his lifelongloveofsports. Fol‐lowingcollege,James joinedhis father’s busi‐ness, American Truckand Trailer,and laterwenton toenjoy asuccessfulca‐reer in salesatLamarque Fordbeforeretiring. James sharedmanywonderful years with hisbeloved wife, Peggy GraceEr‐minger. He wasthe beloved son-in-law to Myr‐tle S. Graceand thelate Leonard R. Grace. James was adevoted andloving fathertoJames Erminger, Jr. andBrienne M. Betten‐courtt(Joseph), and brother to LindaE.San‐topadre (lateJoseph),San‐dra E. Krubee(Billy),and the late RichardErminger, Jr. He also held aspecial place in hisheart for nephews,Michael Er‐mingerand Jonathan High; his dear friend,Kevin Fass‐bender; andnumerous nieces, nephews, extended family, andfriends who willalwaysrememberhim fondly. Apassionategolfer and devotedsportsfan, James nevermisseda game—whether he was watchingfromthe stands orcheeringfromhome. Above all, he wasa true familyman who nevermet a stranger.His warmth, kindness, andeasyconver‐sationmadeeveryonefeel likea friend.James will be deeply missedbyall who knewand lovedhim.Rela‐tives andfriends arein‐vited to attend theFuneral ServicesatGardenof MemoriesFuneralHome, 4900 AirlineDrive,Metairie, LA70001 on Monday,Sep‐tember29, 2025. Visitation willbegin at 11:00 am with a Servicestartingat1:00 pm. To order flowersor offercondolences,please visit www.gardenofmem oriesmetairie.com

FrankB.Fazziopassed awayonThursday,Sep‐tember25, 2025. He was borninNew Orleans, LA on April 22, 1942. He is sur‐vived by hiswife, Deanna Fazzio; hischildren, Joe Fazzio, Leslie Bird,and MimiFornaris(Chip); grandchildren,Kevin Bird, ChadBird, BlakeBird, Mad‐die Saliba (Anthony), Jill Fornaris, AnnieFornaris; great grandchild,SageSal‐iba.StepchildrenSheri Morris(Norman), Steven Marcus(Lori); step grand‐childrenMaurieMorris, Patrick Marcus,Megan Marcus, JuliaMarcus. He is alsosurvivedbyhis sister, JoAnn Mueller. He waspre‐ceded in deathbyhis first wife, Anne Wood Fazzio; his parentsJoe Fazzio and Grace Fazzio andbrother Bernard Fazzio.A NewOr‐leans native,hewas gener‐ous,compassionate,and dedicated to allaspects of his life.Hewas loyal, lov‐ing anddependabletohis family, friendsand career Hewas aprominent part of the lumber industry in Louisiana.Heinstilled a lifelongpassion forthe lumberbusiness, golfand Saintsand LSUfootball.He was adventurousand trav‐eledthe world. He ap‐proachedlife, work andre‐lationships within intensity and energy.Hehad agreat sense of humor andwas the life of theparty.His charismaticpersonality

MichaelJames Gallegos, aged62, passedawayon Thursday,September 18, 2025, surrounded by his loved ones.BornonOcto‐ber 22, 1962, in Vallejo, Cali‐fornia, Michaelwas ade‐voted husband,father, grandfather,brother, friend, andstapleinhis community.Hewas the ownerofa local, familyrun constructioncompany deeply respectedand adoredbyhis customers. Hewas hardworking, giv‐ing,and reliable,always leading by exampleand showing kindness in every‐thing he did. No matter what, he always made time for thepeoplehecared about,going outofhis way tohelpthose in need.His sense of humor anddedi‐cationlefta lastingim‐pressiononeveryonewho knewhim.Mikeloved spendingtimewithfamily, enjoyed reading, listening tomusic,working on per‐sonal projects around the house or forloved ones, and playingwithhis dogs Hetraveledmanyroads and touchedcountless lives,creatingsomany memoriesalong theway Heworkedhardfrom morning to nightand would go thedistancefor those he caredfor,without any expectationfor any‐thing in return.He'dal‐wayswakeupextra early tohelphis kids andgrand‐kidsbygivingthemrides toand from work or school.Michael mayhave been larger than life,but his willingnesstolenda helping hand is whattruly definedhim.Michael is survivedbyhis wife Roberta Gallegos;his chil‐dren: RandallPumila, Susan Gallegos,DanielGal‐legos,and Cody Gallegos; his grandchildren, Madalyn Gallegos,CaidenGallegos, Jolie Gallegos,TonyPumila, CruzGallegos,and Sophie Gallegos;his brothers Gary Brooksand Jesse Forest; and hisstepfatherHP Vaughan.Hewas preceded indeath by hismother, Kathleen Vaughanand his father, MichaelForest. Michael Gallegos will be forever remembered by his loved ones forhis strong workethic,generosity, witty humor,and aboveall his love forhis family. Ser‐vices areprivately held.Fu‐neral planning entrustedto RobinsonFamilyFuneral Home, 9611 LA-23, Belle Chasse,LA70037 (504) 2082119. Foronlinecondo‐lences, please visitwww robinsonfamilyfuneralho me.com

Joseph 'Tut'

Onezime“Tut” Joseph Hebertentered into eternal restonWednesday,Sep‐tember24, 2025 at theage of87. Belovedhusband of the late Rosalind Richard Hebert. Sonofthe late Roo‐seveltHebertand Rosie ScanioHebert. Loving and devoted father of Barry Hebert, Brad Hebert (Tr‐isha) andthe late Brian Hebert. Loving grandfather of Brandi,Brett, Ginnyand

Abbey; greatgrandfather ofCaleb,Wyatt, Pria,Noah, Wrex, Vaidaand Walker Beloved brotherof Rosanne Champagne(Ray) and thelateMarie Schouest(Survived by Ron‐nie). UncleofRay Cham‐pagne,Jr.,Ronnie Schouest, Jr.and Rod Schouest. Tutwas born in New Orleans, Louisiana and wasa lifelong resident ofMarrero,Louisiana.He workedasa Pharmaceuti‐cal Purchaserfor Triangle Drugs andFasullo Drugs. Heloved to spendtime withhis family, grandchil‐drenand hisgreat grand‐childrenbut he also loved spendinghis time outdoors fishing, huntingand trawl‐ing.Inlieuof flowers, pleaseconsiderdonations inhis memory to The AmericanCancerSociety, 2605 RiverRoad, NewOr‐leans,LA70121, 504-4690021 or logontowww cancer.org. Family and friends areinvited to at‐tendthe Memorial Visita‐tionatImmaculateCon‐ception Catholic Church 4401 7thStreet,Marrero, Louisiana on Thursday,Oc‐tober 2, 2025 beginningat 9AM until11AM. AMemor‐ial Mass will be held at the church on Thursday at 11AM. Intermentwillbein Our Lady of Prompt Succor Cemetery, Avenue Aand 5th Streets, Westwego, Louisiana.Mothe Funeral Homeisassisting thefam‐ily during this difficult time. Thefamilyinvites you to sharethoughts, fondmemoriesand condo‐lencesonlineatwww.mot hefunerals.com.

Hughes Jr., Daniel Nicholas

Daniel Nicholas Hughes Jr.,passedawayonTues‐day,September 23, 2025, at the ageof93. He wasa na‐tiveand resident of New Orleans,LA. Dan, or BigD ashewas referred to quite often,loved hisfamilyand enjoyed visiting with them and hisfriends.Hewas an avidfootballfan,loved Mardi Gras,and thehorse races.Heisprecededin death by hisparents, DanielN.Hughes, Sr and Theresa F. Hughes;his wife, Charlene P. Hughes; brother,JosephD.Hughes; sister, DorothyH.Harten‐stein;his son, KevinJ Hughes; stepsons,Barry C Parta andDavid T. Parta. Heissurvivedbyhis chil‐dren, Danielle H. Sharai (Stephen),DanielN HughesIII, andstepdaugh‐ter AllisonB.Parta.Grand‐children, BlakeS.Sharai (Angele), Cole N. Sharai (Mandy),AlexisH.Fox (Jon),step-grandchildren David Jr.and Alyssa Parta. Great-grandchildren Lily E. Sharai, Jack J. Fox, and stepgreat-grandchild Tessa Parta. Also survived byhis former wife andthe motherofhis children, Carol D. Hughes,and ahost ofniecesand nephews. In lieuof flowers, thefamily requeststhatdonations in Dan’s name be giventothe Alzheimer’s Associationat www.alz.org.Relatives and friends areinvited to at‐tendthe Visitation and MemorialPrayerService at L.A.Muhleisen &Son Fu‐neral Home,2607 Williams Blvd.,Kenner, LA on Friday, October 3, 2025. Visitation willbeheldfrom9:00a.m to11:00 a.m.,followedbya MemorialPrayerService at 11:00 a.m. IntermentinSt. Patrick Cemetery No.1, New Orleans, LA.Toshare memoriesorcondolences, pleasevisit www muhleisen.com.

Kiech, Yvonne Lemoine

Yvonne LemoineKiech passedawaypeacefully on Thursday,September 11 2025 at theage of 69 in Farmington, NewMexico. She wasthe cherishedwife and companionof34years toPeter Kiech. Loving sis‐ter of Suzanne Mays (Don‐ald), MoniqueBonner (Steve), Johnette Chauffe

(Mark).She waspreceded indeath by herparents John& Irma Lemoine, and her brotherStevens Lemoine Sr.She is survived and fondly remembered by a host of nieces,nephews, cousins anddearfriends Yvonne wasborninNew Orleans,LA, andgraduated fromP.G.T.Beauregard HighSchool in 1974. She wentontoenjoy afulfilling career as an Office Man‐agerwithBenchmark Com‐putersinMetairie. Yvonne truly embraced thebeauty ofeverydaylife. Shefound joy in simple pleasuresespecially in caring forher beloved houseplantsand the lively arrayof flowers she tended so lovingly in claypotsthroughouther front courtyard. Herlove for thoseplantswas only surpassedbyher special bondwithher favorite pet, a Shih Tzu/Maltese/Poodle mix namedTheodoreJack‐son Kiech, affectionately known as Teddy,whomshe spoiledand adored Yvonne hada deep appre‐ciation forfamilyhistory often collecting oldfamily photographs andtreasur‐ing thememoriesthey held. Shenever forgot a birthdayorgraduationand consistentlyshowedher lovethrough thoughtful gesturesand hercaring spirit. Shewillberemem‐bered most forher loyalty and dedication to herfam‐ily,her warmth andkind‐ness, andthe laughter she brought into thelives of those around her. Yvonne was awonderful example ofwhatitmeans to love and care forothers. Rest in peace,dearYvonne.You willbedeeply missedand forever remembered for yourgood nature andgen‐erous heart. This world was abetterplace with you in it.Relatives and friends areinvited to at‐tenda memorial gathering tobeheldatSt. Bernard MemorialFuneral Home, 701 W. Virtue St., Chal‐mette,LAonSaturday, Oc‐tober 11thfrom11:00AM –1:00PM, followed by a memorialservice in Yvonne’s memory begin‐ningat1:00PM. Shewillbe laidtoeternal rest in apri‐vateceremonyata later date. In lieu of flowers, Yvonne requests that do‐nations be made to St JudeChildren’sHospitalat 800-805-5856 or www stjude.org.

King Jr. Frederick Edward

Frederick Edward King Jr known affectionately as "Beets" to hisfriends andfamily, departedthis worldtobewith hisLord andSavior on August 18, 2025, in Mandeville,LA. Born on January27, 1943, in NewOrleans,LA. He was preceded in death by Frederick Edward King,Sr. andRita Lucy Hayden.He is survivedbyhis wife Ellen Margaret Serpas King,his daughterJulie King Navarro, hisSon-inlaw Hector Christopher Navarro, hisgrandchildren Emma andHagan Navarro andhis threefur babies. He wasa proudalumnus of Francis TNicholls High School, andattended Southeastern Louisiana University. He wasa memberofthe Clerks and Checkers UnionLocal 1497, and Village Church Lutheran.Hewas an enthusiastic participantin fantasy football, apassion that broughthim both excitement and camaraderie. Oneofhis most endearing qualitieswas his love for animals. Aboveall,Beets greatest joywas his grandchildren. Each moment spent with themwas treasured, and he imparted laughter, andunconditional love uponthem. Please join us for aCelebrationof Life on October4th from 12 -4pm at Village Church Lutheran 29180 Us-190, Lacombe, LA. 70445. In lieu of flowers, if you can, bring catordog food to be donated to alocal animal rescueorganization.Hewas a character, so we would like you to share any funny stories,ifyou choose to at theCelebrationofLife

ents, Jean Santenac Lambour and Malcolm Philip Lambour, Jr., and his sister Linda Marie Lambour, Mark is survived by his brother David Malcolm Lambour, his sister Leslie Lambour Bouterie, her husband Larry Bouterie, his niece Katherine BouterieSporcic, and her husband Benjamin Sporcic. Acasual gathering to celebrate Mark's life will be held at Jacob Shoen &Son Funeral Home, 3827 Canal Street, New Orleans, on Tuesday, September 30 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. In keeping with Mark's wishes: no jackets,noties, no solemnity.Private interment will follow at alaterdate. In lieu of flowers, donations in Mark's name may be made to The Ellis Marsalis Center for Music: https:// www.ellismarsaliscenter .org/

Lydia Larose Rives was born September 17, 1935, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and died peacefullyon September 11, 2025. She is survived by daughter Mary Louise Rives; son James Browne Rives and his wife, Magaly Perez Rives; grandson Rene Alexander Rives and his wife, Bevin Amira; grandson Patrick Thomas Rives; granddaughter Raquel Amelia and husband DavidJohnson;greatgranddaughter Amelia; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Lydia was preceded in death by her loving husband, Col. William Thomas "Bill" Rives, Jr.; sons Tom (age 17) and Johnny(age 9);parents Dr. James Brown Larose and Lydia Deynoodt Larose; brothers Dr. James Browne Larose Jr., George Deynoodt Larose, and Michael Joseph Larose; sisters Joy Larose McDade and Belle Larose Lemarie; plus many beloved nieces and nephews.

Aproud graduate of The Academy of the Sacred Heart and Loyola University of the South, Lydia earned aMaster's degree in Education from West Texas State University and aMaster's in Library Science from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. She joyfully dedicated 30 years as an Army wife, moving the family 20 times and raising her four children through diverse circumstances.

Lydia served as alibrarian for the U.S. Armyfor 15 years, workingin Heidelberg, Germany; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Alexandria, Virginia; the Pentagon Law Library in Washington, D.C.; and Fort Hood, Texas. She was active in the American Librarians Association, especially the Armed Forces Librarians Round Table (AFLRT), serving as Treasurer, Vice President, and President, fostering professional relationships with military librarians worldwide.

Lydia retired in 1997 and remained active in numerous organizations in Sun City, Texas, including Kiwanis; theater and book clubs; Senior University; Eagle Boosters; and the Wall Street Savage Investment Club, where she served as Charter Treasurer.

In 2017, Lydia moved to the WesleyanIndependent Living West in Georgetown, Texas, remaining an avid bridge player and participating in many theater productions. During the last six months of her life, she resided near her son, Jim Rives and his wife, Maggie, in Alexandria, Virginia, where Lydia was dearly loved and well cared for. In lieu of flowers, memorialdonations may be sent to theTarahumara Children'sHospital Fund, P.O. Box 57507, New Orleans, LA 70157,oronline at tchforegon.org. (http://tchforegon.org)

Letellierwas aresidentof Kennerfor thepastsixty years.She wasthe beloved wifeofforty-five yearsto the late CaptainDavid L. Letellier,Sr. Sheissurvived bytheir threechildren, David L. Letellier, Jr., John AmedeeLetellier IV,and Marie LetellierWilliams. Mother-in-law to ErrolynV Letellier andSalvadore JosephWilliams. Mrs. Letellier wasthe proud grandmother of DavidL Letellier,III (Sara),Chantell Letellier,NicholasLetellier, Danielle L. Harang (Drew) BrittanyL.Mazzella(Josh), StevenJ.Scavo,Jr. (San‐tana),CoryT.Scavo,and ten greatgrandchildren Beloved sister of Cynthia LePage, Suzanne Blunt Carolyn Breaux,Arthur Derbes, Jr., andJames Derbes. Sister-in-lawto ThomasLetellier andEd‐wardLetellier,Sr. Shewas precededindeath by her parents;Arthur Derbes,Sr. and Lucille Derbes.Jean was knownasthe Queen ofAdventure andbyher in‐fectiouslaugh.All who knewher lovedher and laughed with her. Thefam‐ily wouldliketogivespe‐cialthankstoElois James, her care giverfor thepast five yearsand theloving staff at Laketown Village for thewonderful care she received. Relativesand friends areinvited to at‐tendthe Visitation andFu‐neral Service forMrs Letellier at L. A. Muhleisen & SonFuneralHome, 2607 Williams Blvd., Kenner,LA onTuesday,September 30, 2025. Visitation will be held from10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.followedbya Funeral service at 12:00p.m.Inter‐mentwilldirectlyfollowat LakeLawnParkCemetery, New Orleans, LA.Toshare memoriesorcondolences please visitwww muhleisen.com

Louviere,Pamela Florence Boulas

Pamela Florence (Boulas)Louviere, born May 31,1954, in New Or‐leans,LA, enteredinto eternal rest on Thursday, September 25,2025, at the age of 71, surrounded by the love of herfamily. Pamelabrought joy, warmth, andstrengthto everyonewho knew her, makingher home in Mar‐rero, LA,withher devoted husband,Randy Raymond Louviere, with whomshe shareda beautifullifefor 37cherished years. Pamela was thebeloved daughter ofthe late Earl Ralph BoulasSr. andthe late Anna Mea(Gauthreaux) Boulas. Shewas aloving and proudmothertoBarry JosephBlanchard,Jr. (Raquel EsperanzaNin Blanchard)and thelateOf‐ficerFirst ClassMichael David Louviere (Ashley Nicole Louviere). Her grandchildren,RaquelEs‐meralda Nunez, Kinley NicoleLouviere, andElijah Ray Louviere,aswellas her adoptedgrandchildren River,Tatum,Landyn, Layetyn,Braxtyn,and Levi, werethe lightofher life and each broughther end‐lesshappiness.Her loving natureextendedtoher sib‐lings:MitchellJoseph Boulas(Robin),Michael Bernard Boulas (Larry), and thememoryofher late brothersEarl“Bubby” Ralph Boulas,Jr. (Debo‐rah), FloydFrancis Boulas (Susanand thelate Paulette), BrianPaul Boulas(Cindyand thelate Renee),David LeeBoulas (Karen),and AlvinMatthew Boulas(thelateRose) Pamela’sheart wasopen toher many nieces and nephews,who will always rememberher fondly:Troy Anthony Boulas,Amy BoulasFazende,Andriella Marie Boulas,Jonathan Francis (Boulas)Ulsh, Brian PaulBoulasJr.,Candice Blake (Boulas) Johnson, AndyLee Boulas,Jackie Marie Boulas,AngeleMarie Louviere, AllenCharles LouviereIII (Lauren),Lisa Marie (Louviere) Peters (Keith),and greatnieces and nephews, Ally Grace Boulas, Christen Marie Fazende,Cayla MarieAl‐maaita,Piper Lee Mendez, Joshua Edward Peters,and Isabella MariePeters. Ade‐voted member of Christian FellowshipChurch,Pamela faithfullyled theCelebrate RecoveryProgram for11 years,touchingmanylives withher compassion and encouragement.She en‐joyed workingasa legal secretary andlater em‐bracedher role as afulltimehomemaker,where her creativity flourished especially throughher love

of crafts. Aboveall,Pamela treasured everymoment spent with herfamily, which washer greatest sourceofjoy.Familyand friends areinvited to cele‐brate Pamela’s remarkable lifeonSaturday, October4, 2025, at ChristianFellow‐shipChurch,5049 EhretDr., Marrero,LA. Visitation will befrom10:30 am to 12:00 pm, followed by aservice at12:00 pm.Interment will takeplace immediately after at Westlawn Memor‐ial Park,1255 WhitneyAve., Gretna, LA.There is limited parking in frontofthe church that is reserved for the immediatefamily. Pleasedropoff your guests atthe frontand park in the backofthe church,where additionalparking is avail‐able. Overflow parkingis alsoavailable ablock away atthe ContinentalInsur‐ancebuilding, locatedat 2380 BaratariaBlvd, Mar‐rero, LA.The familywel‐comes youtoshare your favoritememories, stories, and condolencesonlineat www.MotheFunerals.com MotheFuneral Home is honored to be assisting witharrangements. Pamela’slegacyoflove, kindness, andfaith will shine on in allthose blessedtoknowher

Charles"Chuck" Wayne Margaviopassedintoeter‐nal rest on September24, 2025, after abrief illnessat the ageof67. Chuckwas borninNew Orleansbut raisedinHarahan,where the Battureand theMissis‐sippi Riverwerehis play‐ground.He& hislifelong friends builtthe firstbon‐fire on thelevee in Hara‐han that waslit on New Year’sEve.The tradition continued for10years.He graduated from Bonnabel HighSchool in 1976. As a third-generationcobbler & talentedleather craftsman, heowned& operated Bayou Belts& Shoe Repair until hishealthforcedhim intoretirement. As aproud memberofthe Kreweof Thoth,heenjoyed theca‐maraderie with hisfellow ridersofthe Iconic Royal Barge.Chuckwas an avid sportsman anda great cook;his duck &sausage gumbo waswellrenowned. He spentmany summers boatingand water skiing with family and friends. Countless adultsand children learned howtowater ski because of him. Hisloveof fireworkswillliveon through hisson,grandchil‐dren, andnephews.Chuck was well knownfor his teasing senseofhumor, and youalwaysknewhe would like youifhegave you hell.Hewas agener‐ous,loyal,and firmly opin‐ionated manwho will be missedbyall who knew him,but hiscrowningjoy inlifewas hisgrandchil‐dren. He wasprecededin death by hisparents, Josephand AliceMargavio. Heissurvivedbyhis wife of45years,Stephanie Roc‐caforteMargavio, as well ashis son, WayneMar‐gavio andhis grandchil‐dren, Landon,Harper& Olivia; twosisters:Debo‐rah Margavio,Cindy (Lee) Fox,brothers- in-law Frank, David &Andrew(Lisa)Roc‐caforte, sisters-in-law Ali‐cia Haywardand Michele Roccaforte, andnumerous nieces, nephews, great nieces& nephews. Visita‐tionwillbeheldonSatur‐day,October 4, 2025, at Greenwood FuneralHome from11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m with aMasstofollow inthe Chapel,and intern‐mentatGreenwood Ceme‐tery. In lieu of flowers, pleasemakedonations to Ducks Unlimitedora char‐ity of your choice.Wealso inviteyou to shareyour thoughts, fond memories, and condolencesonlineat www.greenwoodfh.com Your shared memories will helpuscelebrate Chuck’s lifeand keep hismemory alive

Gail ElizabethThompson Miller, 78, enteredeternal lifeonSeptember 15, 2025 surrounded by herloving family. Gail wasbornin Milwaukee, Wisconsinto Christian HenryThompson, Jr. andDorothy Elizabeth RauhThompson, both Navy veterans. Herfamilymoved toNew Orleans, Louisiana in1955 andshe graduated fromMartinBehrman High School in 1965. Sheat‐tendedLoyolaUniversity and earned hercertifica‐tioninDentalHygiene in 1967 andher Bachelor of Science degree in 1970. She spent heradult life divid‐ing hertimebetween her homes in BelleChasse, Louisiana andCarriere, Mississippi.Gailwas ade‐voutservant of theLord, known forher unwavering faith andlovefor Jesus. For 25years,she wasanactive memberofResurrection LifeWorship Center in Picayune,Mississippi where sheservedinthe Healing Room andfound fulfillmentinhelping oth‐ers.Gailwas also thecoownerofMagnoliaMonu‐mentwithher husband, Neville. Sheusedher talent asa graphicdesignerto createmeaningfulmemori‐als.Gailand Nevilleoften met with andcompassion‐ately counseledthose grievingthe loss of loved ones, offering them com‐fortand understanding duringdifficult times. Above all, hergreatestjoys wereher children and grandchildren.She cher‐ished theirsillinessand loved nothingmorethanto laugh andgigglewith them. Herever-present smile andgenerousheart touched everyone around her.Her absenceleavesa holeinthe hearts of those she lovedso fiercely,but her love andlaughterwill liveoninthe memories she created. Gail is sur‐vived by herhusband, James NevilleMillerand their daughter,Lainie Miller; herchildrenfrom her firstmarriagetoFrank Morse,Jr.:Tracy Morse, Frank Morse, III (Amy), and Scott Morse(Kristie);her grandchildren,Christian Morse,Lucas Morse, Amelia Morse, Aidan Morse,LaurenMiller, Le‐landMiller,and Carley Morse;her sisters, Susan ThompsonBirdsong (Charles) andDebbie ThompsonStohlman (Robert); hernieces, Lori Headland(Scotty), Christi Vollertsen(Jim),and Re‐becca Winn (Tom); andher bestfriend, Roslyn Milli‐gan.Gailisprecededin death by herparents,her son,Scott RandallMorse, her granddaughter, Caylee Marie Feurtado,and her brother-in-law, Robert Stohlman. Visitation will be heldonThursday,October 2,2025 at OneHopeChurch inBelle Chasse,Louisiana at10:00 a.m. forfamilyand 11:00 a.m. forthe public The funeralservice will begin at noon,followedby interment at Westlawn CemeteryinGretna, Louisiana

AgraduateofWarrenEas‐ton High School,Theresa wentontoenjoy asuc‐cessful 35-year career in the maritime insurancein‐dustry. Shelater married and starteda family, giving lifetoher daughter Patri‐cia,who became herlife‐longcompanion.Inretire‐ment, sheproudly earned her collegedegree, receiv‐ing herdiploma to the cheersofher daughter and grandchildren.Theresa was preceded in deathby her sixsiblings: AnaTo‐liver,Marie Tucker,Joseph Canzoneri,Frank Can‐zoneri, CatherineCan‐zoneri, andRosemary Guarisco. Sheissurvived byher devoteddaughter PatriciaMurphyCaveand her husbandMark; her cherished grandchildren Tyler Scurlock,Kelsey Breardand herhusband Garrett, andMials Scurlock and hiswifeCarey;aswell asher treasuredgreatgrandchild, Liam Scurlock Relatives andfriends are invited to attend services atGreenwood Funeral Home, 5200 CanalBlvd., New Orleans, LA 70124, on Wednesday,October 1, 2025. Visitation will begin at9:30a.m followed by a processionat10:00 a.m. to Greenwood Cemetery where ablessingwilltake place at theFamilyTomb. In lieu of flowers, please considerdonatingtoCom‐munitySailing NewOr‐leans http://nolacommuni tysailing.org We also invite you to shareyour thoughts, fond memories and condolencesonlineat www.greenwoodfh.com Your shared memories will helpuscelebrate Theresa’s life andkeep her memoryalive

Ruth ElizabethMcCoy Upton Ouder, 1930-2025 RuthElizabeth McCoy Upton Ouder, of Slidell, Louisiana,passedaway peacefully at herhomeon Sunday, September21, 2025. Shewas 95 yearsold Ruthwas preceded in death by herparents, Georgeand JosephineFan‐dal McCoy; 17 brothers and sisters;her husbands James Robert Uptonand Joseph“J.C.”Ouder;and fourofher sixchildren–RonaldL.Upton,RobertA Upton,Betty UptonWatson and Kimberly UptonSmith Lefttocherish Ruth’s memoryare herbrothers, Johnand FritzMcCoy;her children, James“Jim” Upton (Tanya)and Paula Ouder (MargaretPierce); her children-in-law, Michael Watson (Cathy), Mark“Smitty”Smith (An‐gelique), andSherylHarris (Brian);11grandchildren –RonaldH.Upton (Ann), Brian Spatola, Robert W. Upton,EmericWatson (Susan),Erica Watson Smith (Raymond), Derek Upton (Alicia),JakeSmith, Joshua Smith(Emily),Vic‐toria “Tori” Upton, Austin Upton (Caitlin), andPierce “P.J.”Ouder;numerous niecesand nephews; more cousins than canbe counted;and awidecircle ofbeloved friends. Ruth’s livinglegacyincludes15 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grand‐child.Among Ruth’s sur‐vivors,her niece, Sandy

KayBray(Ronnie),helda special placeinRuth’s heart,providing faithful loveand care after Ruth stoppeddriving,shortly after her90thbirthday. She had thebestneighbors anybody couldask for, who always made sure she was well-fedand cele‐brated. Born andraisedin Slidell, Louisiana.,Ruth graduated from SlidellHigh School in 1948 andeagerly attended theschool’s an‐nual“50 Year Club”re‐union,one of herfavorite dates on thecalendar. Ruthworkedasrural letter carrier forthe U.S. Postal Service,where shemade lasting friendshipsand en‐joyed travelingthe country withfellowcarriersonnu‐merousadventures. She worried enough forevery‐one else andexcelledat caringfor others,espe‐cially in theirtimeofneed. Fiercelyindependent and tough as nails,itwas diffi‐cultfor Ruth to receive helpwhenshe finally needed it,but sheac‐ceptedthe limitationsof advancedage anda failing heart valvewithgrace and genuine concernfor her childrenand caregivers Ruthshareda love of gar‐deningwithher late hus‐bandJ.C.She enjoyed cooking, canningand hap‐pilyeatingthe food they grew. Shemadeamazing jellies andpreserves with local fruits.Ruthenjoyed watchingwrestling on tele‐visionand attended theoc‐casionalWWE matchin personwithher grandchil‐dren. Sheadoredmaking otherslaugh by sharing dirty jokesorplayfully de‐liveringa well-timedonefinger salute.Inher quieter hours,she couldbefound crafting, visiting with friends andfamily, playing cards,bargain huntingat garagesales,dotingonba‐biesand watching “Wheel ofFortune”and “Jeopardy.” She wasa longtime mem‐ber of theApplePie Ridge Club. In her finalmonths, Ruthwas attended by Notre Dame Hospice. The familyisdeeply grateful for thekindnessand care ofnurse Hannah Travis, aideDionne Davidson and companion Margaret Ducre.A celebrationofa beautiful,well-livedlife willbeheldSaturday, Oc‐tober 4, 2025, at Honaker FuneralHome, 1751 Gause Blvd. West,inSlidell Louisiana.Visitationfor friends andfamilyis scheduled from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.witha funeralservice at1 p.m. andreception to follow. Please visitwww honakerforestlawn.comto signguestbook.Arrange‐ments by HonakerFuneral Home, Inc.,Slidell, LA

LindaEverett Roan,age 78, of Mandeville Louisiana,passedawayon Tuesday,September 23 2025. Shewas born on De‐cember14, 1946, in Jack‐son,Mississippi,toEugene Rembert Everettand Ora NellMagee Everett. Linda resided in Jacksonfor 35 years,graduatingfrom Provine High School in 1965. Afterhighschool, she attended collegeatthe UniversityofSouthernMis‐sissippi in Hattiesburg, Murphy,Theresa Canzoneri

TheresaCanzoneri Mur‐phy,a native of NewOr‐leans,passedawayon September 18, 2025, after a longillness. Born in 1938 she wasthe beloved daughterofFrank andLena Canzoneri (Maniscalco) Proud of herSicilianher‐itage—and of theseveral boxersinher family— Theresa fought herillness withremarkablestrength and gracetothe very end. One of hergreatestloves was Lake Pontchartrain. She spenther childhood swimming, crabbing,and fishingfromthe Lakefront steps.Asa teenager,she discovereda passionfor water skiing andenjoyed longbikerides along“old Hammond Hwy.”Intime, she developeda lifelong loveofsailing,spending countless hourstacking andjibingacrossthe lake

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

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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.

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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

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.

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.

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

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

that there’szeroscientific evidence of acausallink.

Stephanie Grace

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

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.

Quin Hillyer

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

Whitepolitician wasanAmericanIndian, untilnow

Would you vote for aWhite candidate rather than an American Indian candidate?

It seems New Orleans City Council District CcandidateKelsey Foster thinks so. Foster,former executive director of the Algiers Economic DevelopmentFoundation, wants to replace incumbent City Council member Freddie King III She’snot alone. So do the Green Party’sEliot Barronand No Party candidate Jackson Kimbrell, who has the support of the Democratic Socialists of America. King is Black. Barron is White. Kimbrell is White. Foster is White. But she hasn’talwaysbeen White.Orhas she?

Will Sutton

She identified herself as American Indian on her Louisiana voter registration form until July,when it was time to qualify to campaign for office this year When Italked with her about the midsummer registration identification change at arecent candidates forum, she shook her head and, in my ears,Iheardher say it was much of nothing. I’ll let

youdecide. “Mydad’sfamily has Indigenous roots,”she explained to me. “It’s notsomething thatIwould ever normally (write).Idon’t knowwhy Iput that in whatever year Iregistered that way.White is the more accurate description. That’swhy Ichanged it “If Ihad noticed thatearlier,I would have changed it earlier.” Wasitalways American Indian?“No.It wasWhite. At some point, Ichangedit. And Ichanged it back. It’snot inaccurate. It’s just not what Iwould sayismost accurate.” Some peoplemight call that a white lie,afabrication —oralie. Foster told me that she changed herregistration“as soon as I could ”The changed happened when shewas qualifying, confirming the accuracyofher registration. Though she can’trememberwhen herregistration was changed to American Indian, she said “20-year-oldKelsey was feeling different that day.”

Foster hasn’tbeen 20 in quite sometime.

Her dad’speopleare from westernPennsylvania, so her Indig-

enous roots trace to some tribe she can’tremember.She said she’snot afederally recognized American Indian, she doesn’thave an official tribe cardand she wasn’teligible for,and didn’ttake advantage of, American Indian benefits

In astatement, she said, “Like millions of Americans,myancestry is complex and voter registrationcards only provide a snapshot.”

I’m Black. Or African American. Legend and lorehave it that my ancestryincludes Indigenous blood. But Idon’tclaim it.

To claim to be Indigenous would be disingenuous. Ihave Indigenous friends who arecard-carrying tribe members. There’snoone federal definition, though being amember of afederally recognized tribe is agood starting place. For the record, that type of designation is apolitical one, not racial. Well before Christopher Columbus sailed and “discovered” the Americas in 1492, therewere people living in what today we call Canada and the United States of America. Population estimates arequite varied. Some estimate that there wereabout 2.5 million people.

Some say it might’ve been as many as 5or7million. Still others insist thatthe number was more than15million, and even closer to 20 million. No matterthe number,there werepeople here well before Columbus arrived with people of different colors and shades speaking weirdlanguages. There are many Indigenous people or “American Indians” in the United States and in Louisiana. Combined with Alaska natives, some estimates put the national population at 9million and our state population at about 31,000. When someone is eligible to register,the Clerk of Courts in that person’sparish counts on each person to be honest and truthful. They trustthat the name you’re recording is your real name. They trustthat the address you’re providing is your real address. They trustthat the gender you’re providing is accurate. They trust thatthe racial identification you’re providing is atruthful answer Parishclerks don’thave enforcement staff. They don’thave enough people to check each voter registration to confirm that each entry is accurate. These things sometimes cometo

light when someone runs for political office. Any political adviser worth his or her value of whatever level knows that two of the most important considerations before launching acampaign must be ensuring that you’ve paid your taxes and that your home address is within the district where you intend to run, whenthat is required.

Race played arole in our nation’s politics for far too long. In the early days after our nation’sfounding, only White male property owners could vote. Imagine if that were the case today.For starters, what would that mean for all the White menwho lease or rent?

Thank goodness we are far beyond that.

Race definitely plays arole in today’spolitics in Louisiana and across the nation, but it isn’tadetermining factor in whether someone can run for public office. Race is not afactor for qualifying. Nor should it be. But Ithink registrations should be accurate, a fact, truthful. We evaluate political candidates on anumber of factors, including honesty and integrity

EmailWill Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.

with meteorologist Damon Singleton

DEATHS continued from

Mississippi,earning bache‐lor’s degrees in English and Communicationsin 1969, followed by amas‐ter’s degree in Communi‐cations 1970. Shealso joinedAlpha SigmaAlpha sororitywhere sheserved aschapterpresident and met many of herlifelong friends.Althoughshe had nosiblingsofher own, these womenbecameher sisters in everysense of the word andtreated each other as familythroughout their lives. Followinggrad‐uateschool,Linda worked inthe CommunicationsDe‐partmentfor theMissis‐sippi Research andDevel‐opmentCenteruntil 1981, whenher familymoved to New Orleans, Louisiana. She went back to work in 1992 as theDirectorofPub‐lic Informationfor St.Tam‐manyParishPublic Schools, whereshe served until herretirement in 2008. Amongsther many dutiesininforming the publicand parentsofdis‐trict initiatives, she was criticalincommunicating tothe media, offering offi‐cialstatementsonbehalf ofthe school system and was intricatelyinvolvedin the Parish’s response after Hurricane Katrinain2005 Linda wasactivelyinvolved inthe community andat ChristEpiscopal Church in Covington,where shere‐mainedanactivemember until herpassing,even continuingher participa‐tionwithher GraceGather‐ing biblestudy groupvia video conferencing after nolongerbeing able to at‐tendinperson. Lindaloved her familyand friends deeply andcherished her timespent with both.She isprecededindeath by her motherand father.She is survivedbyher high schoolsweetheartand de‐voted husband of 56 years, ThomasV.Roan, Jr.; beloved sons,Jason E. Roan(Meredith)and An‐drewW.Roan(Nichol); and five cherishedgrandchil‐dren, Alexis,Tanner, Made‐line, Landry,and Cooper She is also survived by her sister-in-law,Mollie Mc‐Donald(George); nieces Katie andKelly;aswellas her many MageeFamily cousins andother rela‐tives.The familywishesto thank herextendedfamily, numerousfriends andcol‐leagues,and medicalpro‐fessionalsfor theirlove and supportprovidedto Linda,particularlyasshe courageouslyfoughther illnessesoverthe past 18 years.Inlieuof flowers, please consider adonation

to National Jewish Health (respiratorydiseases) in Denver, CO.https://www nationaljewish.org/giving Relativesand friendsare invited to attend thefu‐neral services on Monday September 29,2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Christ Episco‐pal Church,129 North New Hampshire Street,Coving‐ton,Louisiana,withvisita‐tionbeginning at 10:00a.m IntermentwillbeonTues‐day,September 30, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. at Lakewood MemorialPark, 6000 Clin‐ton Boulevard, Jackson, Mississippi.E.J.Fielding FuneralHomeofCoving‐ton,Louisiana,ishonored tobeentrusted with Mrs. Roan’sfuneral arrange‐ments.Her familyinvites you to sharethoughts, memories, andcondo‐lencesbysigning an online guestbook at www.ejfield ingfh.com

AnnMaucele Saia,94, passedawaypeacefully on September 24,2025, at home, surrounded by fam‐ily.Ann wasbornonDe‐cember10, 1930, in New Or‐leans,toSamuelMaucele and Irma Bizot. Shewas precededindeath by her husband,Louis Paul Saia, Jr. Sheissurvivedbyher fourchildren, 16 grandchil‐dren, and14great-grand‐children, who will carry her lovemovingforward.The onlything Annloved more thanfamilywas dancing. It wasn’tjusta hobby, it was her passion. From thetime she wasa little girl,she dancedher waythrough life, eventually becoming President of the Dance Masters of America, New Orleans chapter. Sheper‐formedinVariety Shows, traveled thecountry with stars,and laterreturnedto New OrleanstoopenAnn Maucele School of Dance, which sheran formore than25years.Dancing wasn’tjustsomething she didfor fun, it waswho she

was. AndintrueAnn fash‐ion,the dancingschool be‐camesomething of it’s own, overflowingwith warmthand rhythm.Ann loved acrowd.She lovedto host. Shehad aspecial gift for turningstrangers into family. Herhomewas alive withItalian food,dancing laughter, andFUN.Satur‐daysatthe Saia house started with dancingto LawrenceWelk, followed bya barbecue andcard games with friends. Ann was an excellentcook.Her granddaughter even cre‐ateda cookbook basedon her recipes. Hercacciatore recipewillalwaysbethe stuff of legends. Shewas proudly Italian, andher kitchen wasthe heartof every gathering. Ann’s presencewas unforget‐table.She wasa life-force who treatedeveryonewith careand respect, butalso witha littlesasswhen needed.She hada wayof makingany room feel like a party, andher laughter was contagious.She will bedeeply missed. The familywillreceive friends atOur Lady of theRosary Catholic Church on Thurs‐day,October 2, 2025, 3368 Esplanade Ave.,New Or‐leans,LAfrom10AMuntil 12Noon followed by a MassofChristian Burial Celebrant MonsignorFrank J.Giroirand ConCelebrant DeaconJim Bialas ArrangementsbyJacob Schoen& SonFuneral Home3827 CanalSt. Con‐dolencesmay be left at www.schoenfh.com. Flow‐ers will be accepted, dona‐tions arepreferred to St JudeChildren'sResearch HospitalinMrs.Saia's name.

Salassi, Terry Gorman

Terry GormanSalassi, age82, of NewOrleans, Louisiana, diedon September 16, 2025, surrounded by her loving family. Terrywas born November 6, 1942, in St.

Joseph, Missouri,toEthel MillerGorman and Thomas Gorman.Asa youngchild, she moved with her mother and brotherto Birmingham, Alabama, and was raised primarilyby her mother and her maternal grandparents, Ethel and Beauregard Miller. She graduated from ShadesValleyHighSchool in Birmingham, then received her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1964 from Sophie Newcomb College in New Orleans, whereshe was a member of AlphaDelta Phi sororityand president of theDance Club.She went on toearn aMaster of Social Work degree from Tulane University in 1966. She metRaymond J. Salassi,Jr. in college, and they were marriedfrom December 27, 1965, until his death in 2002. Together they raised four daughters. Terrywas astay-athome wife and mother, who attended just about every sports game, talent show, ballet and piano recital,academic fair, schooland religious ceremony that her girls participated in. She also didextensive volunteerworkfor multiple organizations including WYES,the New Orleans Symphony Book Fair, and Poydras Home where she championed the annualArt Showand served on theBoardof Directors. She was an avid reader, enjoyed gardening, and lovedthe performing arts,especially ballet,theater, and symphony. Terry was known by allasa wonderfulcookwho first learned NewOrleans classicrecipes fromher mother-in-law. She had an extensive collectionofcookbooks and enjoyed trying out gourmet recipes, especiallyfor dinners with the SupperClub she and Ray created withdear friends, and forher famous family Wednesday Night Suppers. She was preceded in death by her brother Beau, mother, father, and husband.

She willbegreatly missed by her four daughters and twosons-in-law: Jeanne and Tim Walker, Anne Salassi,Carol Salassi, and Karen and Derek Gardes, as wellasher four grandchildren: Raymond Walker, Ben Walker, Katie Gardes, and Virginia Gardes, who adored their Nana.

The family wouldliketo thank thededicated sitters at Home CareSolutions for their excellent care of

Terrythrough herprolonged illness with dementia, thestaff at Poydras Home, as well as Anvoi Hospice Visitation will be held Saturday, October4,2025, at 9:00 am at Lake Lawn MetairieFuneral Home 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd in NewOrleans,with a memorial service to follow at 11:00. Terrywillbelaid to rest in Metairie Cemetery.Inlieuofflowers, donations canbe made in herhonor to WYES,Poydras Home,or thecharity of yourchoice.

Roger Douglas Smith, MD,FAANS,FCNS, adefiningneurosurgeon of his generation,passed away peacefully surrounded by hisloving familyand adored colleagueson September 22, 2025 in New Orleansatthe age of 83. Born at Gotham Hospital in NewYorktoFlorence Clegg Smith andCharles Elmo Smith, he grew up in California andgraduated from Stanford University prior to matriculating to University of Southern California School of Medicine.Heservedhonorably as aNavy physician duringthe Vietnam War achieving therankof Lieutenant. He trained in neurosurgery with Dr.John Green at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenixand subsequently completed fellowship in Zurich with Gazi Yasargil, with whom he co-authored thedefinitive text on micro -neurosurgical technique. In 1979, he wasrecruited to theLouisiana State University Department of Neurosurgery.Hejoined theOchsnerDepartment of Neurosurgery in 2001 and wasnamed Physician Leader of theYearin2006. He wasinstrumental in es-

tablishingthe TulaneOchsnerNeurosurgery Residency Training Program, of whichhewas Chair andProgram Director,inaddition to serving as Chairman of the OchsnerDepartmentof Neurosurgery Hisimpact on both his patients andhis neurosurgical traineesand colleagues is impossible to overstate. He wasmoreof afather than merely a mentor to hismanyresidents, whose successes he celebrated to the day of hispassing.Hewas asuperlative clinician anda gentleman's surgeon; he hadexceptional knowledge of anatomy, technical prowess, superb communication skills, andabove all theability to recognize the humanity anddignityin eachand everyperson he encountered. He saved and improvedinnumerable lives,and hisexceptional legacywill be perpetuated by histrainees. He was belovedbyall He lovedNew Orleans andservedinmultiple medical organizations,including the Louisiana Association of Neurological Surgeons (President, 1995-6), OrleansParish Medical Society (President, 2003), and Louisiana State Medical Society(President, 2008-10). Throughouthis career,hewas recognized with countless honors, including induction into Louisiana State Medical SocietyHallofFame, the Louisiana Association of Neurological Surgeons Lifetime Achievement Award,the OchsnerHealth Lifetime Achievement Award,the Ochsner AlumniAward,the SovereignMilitary Orderof theTemple of Jerusalem/ KnightsTemplar,and the 1834 Society. He wasactive in all theleadingneurosurgical societies andserved as aguest examinerfor theAmerican Board of Neurological Surgeons.He wasa Renaissanceman: he spoke seven languages, read voraciously, and traveled theworld: favorite destinations included Greece, Egypt, Istanbul, France, Italy, andmost of all,Vietnam, whereheenjoyed multiple medical service trips to children's hospitals during whichhe treatedpatients andmentoredlocal neurosurgeons. He wasactiveinseveral localsocial clubsand

Saints coachMoore farfromthe first rookie coachtoget blownout, 8C

ORRTSSPO

Tulane opensconferenceplaywithwin

Freshman

BY GUERRYSMITH

Contributing writer

Freshman Javin Gordon stepped up in a crowded Tulane backfieldonSaturday.So did adefensive front that hadbeenupand down through the firstfourgames. The net result was a31-14 AmericanCon-

NewOrleans faceshistoricallylong odds versus BillsinBuffalo, 9C ‘O’MISS

ference-opening winagainst TulsaatH.A. ChapmanStadium as theGreenWave(4-1, 1-0) extended its winning streak in regularseasonleague road games to 13 that dates to thestart of 2022.

The Golden Hurricane (2-3,0-2) entered offthe high of arare win at Oklahoma State and hung with the Wave for much of thefirst half before getting beaten in all phasesthe rest of theway

Gordon scored the go-ahead touchdown— his second of three on the day —ona25-yard runatthe 2:13 markofthe second quarter for a21-14 lead. He added the last one with 5:28 left in the third quarter,bouncing out-

side and racing untouched from 3yards out as Tulane accounted for the final margin. Gordon finishedwith 78 yardson15carries, but hisimpact was greater than thenumbers suggested on aday when two other backs fumbledand Tulane handedoff to five different onesinthefirsthalfinsearchofthebestoption.

“Needlesstosay,hewas the onethatgot to lead theHullabaloo (chant) in the locker room just now,” coach Jon Sumrall said.

“Fifteen carries, 78 yardsand threetouchdownsfor anybodyisgood.For atruefreshman, I’m veryimpressed. He’sa physical, gritty runner and really smartand detailed. His hard work’spaying off.”

Gordon scored untouched for the first touchdown of his career,cutting inside ablock from center Jack Hollifield on arun to the right withall green turf in front of him. The 25-yarder wasniftier. Taking ahandoff up the middle,heaccelerated through asmall hole, changing direction slightlytwice to avoiddefenders before breakinganarm tackle inside the10onhis waytothe endzone.

“Itall startedwithmepressing theline of scrimmage, setting up my linemen’s blocksand allowing themtoworkupto thelinebackers,” he said.“ThenonceIsaw

See TULANE, page 4C

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.

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 wasagame that wasstill 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 whenit needed to most lay the seeds of the

Altmyer leads Illinois to win over USC

BY STEVE STEIN Associated Press

CHAMPAIGN, Ill Luke Altmyer

drove Illinois to David Olano’s 41yard field goal as time expired, lifting the No. 23 Illini to a 3432 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

Texas A&M defense shines against Auburn

Associated Press

COLLEGE STATION, Texas Le’Veon Moss ran for a career-high 139 yards and a touchdown and No. 9

Texas A&M held off Auburn 16-10 to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 2016.

“I heard people saying we really couldn’t run the ball,” Moss said. “It was a statement game for us, the offensive line and the running backs.”

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.

“We won two games without playing our best football,” coach Mike Elko said. “That is a testament to character and culture and just grinding.”

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.

“It means a lot,” he said. “We are doing what we can to get those wins every day We are trying to play our best ball It wasn’t that today, but we got the job done.” Reed threw for 207 yards and KC Concepcion had a seasonhigh 113 yards receiving on seven catches.

Auburn (3-2, 0-2) entered the game ranked fifth in the nation by allowing just 58.2 yards rushing a game. But the Aggies piled up 145 yards rushing by halftime and finished with 207 yards rushing led by Moss averaging 6.6 yards a carry 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 (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 next-

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. Grady Gross made two field goals for the Huskies (3-1). 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.

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.

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.

play 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).

He’s got the Commodores off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 2008. Junior Sherrill had 91 yards receiving and caught three of Pavia’s touchdown throws. It was the first time Sherrill has scored more than one touchdown in a game. Eli Stowers and Richie Hoskins also had receiving touchdowns

and Makhilyn Young scored a rushing touchdown. Brock Taylor made two field goals. 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. Love caught TD passes of 7 and 34 yards, and had scoring runs of 1 and 3 yards, finishing with 14 carries and 57 yards. 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

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. Iowa (3-2, 1-1) had a chance to break a 13-13 tie with 2:01 to play but Drew Stevens missed a 42-yard field goal.

No 15 TENNESSEE 41, MISSISSIPPI STATE 34, OT: In Starkville, Mississippi, 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.

The Volunteers (4-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) trailed 34-27 after Zakari Tillman’s interception and Seydou Traore’s 2-yard scoring run. Tennessee tied on a 13-play, 75yard drive. After Bishop scored in OT, the Vols stopped the Bulldogs (4-1, 0-1) on downs inside the 5. Held down for the better part of three quarters, the Vols finished with 466 yards of total offense. Aguilar was 24 of 40 for 335 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

Mike Matthews had six catches for 118 yards for Tennessee, and Chris Brazzell II added six receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. Bishop carried 11 times for 72 yards.

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.

THE VARSITYZONE

BrotherMartin-Jesuit thriller endswithlast-second field goal

Brother Martin and Jesuit played athrilling football game to open Catholic League play on Friday at TadGormley Stadium. Here are five things that stood out from the Crusaders’ 31-29 victory that included agame-winning field goal with 2secondsleft

1. Kicker returnsfor game-winner

quarterback Mani Vandenweghe but didn’tuse them until the fourth quarter

Karr offenseon full displayin Holy Crossrout

BY CHRISTOPHERDABE Staff writer

Edna Karr looked dominant as ever Saturday in a42-3 victory against Holy Cross, but not in the same way that it did last season. The team last season won a state championship with apassingoffense capable of scoring pointsfrom anywhere on the field.

The team this season is abit moremethodical —ifnot more punishing.

JohnJohnson ran for two touchdowns andwas amongthree Karr ball carriers to reach the end zone at TadGormley Stadium as theundefeated Cougars (4-0, 1-0 District 9-5A) dominated with a defense fronted by LSU commitmentRichard Anderson.

three touchdowns in the first six minutes of the second half. LSU commitment Aiden Hall blocked apunt to set up oneof those passing touchdowns by Johnson.

Karrcoach Brice Brown creditedhis quarterback with making good decisions.

“The best thing Ilove is having aquarterback who’s athree-year starterthat can make the checks andmakethe readsfor you, so he makes our job alot easier,” Brown said.

The score stayed close into the secondquarter.

Holy Cross (3-1,0-1)became the first Louisiana school to score against Karr this season when a38-yard screen pass to senior Ke’RynnSmithput Noel Mora in position to make a45-yard field goal in the first quarter

Playing without usual starting quarterback Taylor Norton for thesecondweek in arow because of athumb injury,the BlueJays got aspark when Vandenweghe cameupbig with rushing gains of 20 and16yardsduring a13-play drive that ended with his 2-yard dive into the endzone.

Johnson, the quarterback, ran 11 times for 165 yards andtwo touchdowns as he completed7 of 12 passes for 87 yards andtwo touchdownpasses —both in the third quartertoseniors Greg Wilfred and Floyd Jones. The bigplayfor Johnson came on the first snap after halftime. With the defense keyed on Tre Garrison, Johnson pulled the ball fromthe gut of his seniorrunning back and ran around the right end for an 80-yard touchdown that madethe score 28-3. Johnson ranfor the touchdown on aread-optionkeeper after his quarterback coach got on him about missing acoupleother chancesatsomebig runs before halftime.

The increased production on the ground reflected achange from last season.

Senior Luke Appe intercepted Johnson andhad along return into Karr territory —but ablock in the back penalty negated the return and set Holy Cross back into its own territory

Brother Martin junior Maximo Barrios delivered on the gamewinning field goal from 38 yards out despite being limited bya lower back andleg injury through the first four weeks of the season. Senior Caden Flanagan handled all the extra-point kicking duties on the way to building a28-16 lead one play into the fourth quarter

But with the game on the line, Brother Martin coach Mark Bonis turned to Barrios,whosewinning field goal fluttered sideways through the air as it cleared the crossbar near the left upright. Brother Martin had planned before the injury to have Barrios handle all kicking and punting duties this season,and he did allthe punting against Jesuit but didn’t have agreat night, Bonis said “After the last punt, he was down,” Bonissaid. “I said,‘Hey bud, you know,wemay have to kick the game-winning field goal, so relax, put it behind you, let’s reset.’ ” The field goal didn’tgoexactly as Barrios would have liked. His right foot scrapedalong theturf justbefore he contacted the football, which caused the sideways flutter through the air

“I hit the floor beforeI hitthe ball, so it’snot acleanhit,” Barrios said. “But Ifollowed through, Iswung well —sothe ball went through.”

2. Jesuit underclassmenshine Jesuit had aseries of playsinstalled for sophomoredual-threat

Vandenweghe later completed a 37-yard pass that put Jesuit in position for the go-ahead touchdown with just over aminute remaining. Hisnightendedafter the next play whenhegot hit in the ribsand hadtobehelped off the fieldfollowing ashort run play Vandenweghe wasn’tthe only playertocome off the sideline andcontribute. Sophomore Michael Cerruti ran 13 timesfor 80 yards, including a51-yarder duringthe fourthquarter,and scored the go-ahead touchdown for a lead that stayed at 29-23 after a failed two-pointattempt.

Cerruti got most of his carries at running back after senior starter Gavin Palmisano (11 carries, 57 yards) got hurt lateinthe first half

Junior speedster Ja’ir Burks scored two touchdowns, includingone on akickoff return in the thirdquarter.Sully Sullivan threw atouchdown pass to Burks before halftime.

3. Royalcontinues dominance

Five-star wideout Easton Royal of Brother Martin caught touchdown passes from two different quarterbacks and has scored multiple touchdowns in all four games this season. Hudson Fields hit Royal for a 60-yard touchdown on the first playfromscrimmage, and sophomore backupJustinMorgan entered for ahandfulofplays in the second half and hitRoyal for a38yard touchdown caught in stride at thegoal line. Royal finished with nine catches for 168 yards and thetwo touchdowns.

Senior Jack Melancon also showed someflashes as arusher and receiver with 94 yards from scrimmageonsix carries for 35 yards, including a23-yard touchdown run, and five catches for 59 yards. Sophomore Luca Ascani also ran for aTD.

4. Two-QB system adds twist

The use of Fieldsand Morgan at quarterback revealed an intriguing element for Brother Martin. Fieldsthrew for 323 yards on 21 of 30 passing while Morgan —the younger brother of former LSU baseball standout TreMorgan had rushing gains of 15 and 11 yards during thetwo touchdown drives after halftime. Those were his only two carries.

Bonis likes to workasecond quarterback intogames, and this pairing looks like it could be especially effective.

5. Battle betweenheavyweights

There’snoreplacing this kind of experience for the players —a hard-fought gamebetween two teams with potential to go far in theplayoffs

“It’s like Itold the players: You have two top-20 teams in thestate going at it,”Jesuit coach Ryan Manale said. “One team has got to win, and one has got to lose.”

ContactChristopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

BY SCOTTRABALAIS Staff writer

“It’sabig offensive change,” saidJohnson, the All-Metro player of the year selection with more than 3,000 yards passing last season.“They like to drop eight now because we passed so much last year.Now we got to make them start filling thebox to open the pass back up.That’s whyTre Garrisonisgetting alot of carries and I’m running alot.”

Garrison ran14timesfor 94 yards,with mostofthat production coming in the first half. The Nicholls State commitment ran untouched for12yards anda touchdown that made it atwoscoregame in the secondquarter Junior Jermond Macklin ran 23 yards aroundthe right end fora touchdown on the next Karr possessionthat gave the Cougars a 21-3 leadinto the break.

Starting with Johnson’s80-yarder to the end zone, Karrscored

“Thatchanges thewhole complexionbecause youget the ball on the 22-yard line and achance to score,” Holy Cross coach Scott Wattigny said. “Then you got a chance to maybegoup10-7 or youatleast make it 7-6.”

Holy Cross played without nine starters combined on offense and defense, Wattigny said.

“Wewere already in atough situation withthe guys that we were putting out there,” Wattigny said. “Wegot to gethealthy. We’re on ashort week, and we play Jesuit. Everybody knows whatthat game implies.”

Karr,whichpreviously allowed points only to aschool fromFlorida in between shutouts of Shaw and McDonogh 35, will play next against St. Augustine.

Contact Christopher Dabeat cdabe@theadvocate.com

TULANE 31,TULSA 14

THREEAND OUT: GUERRy SMITH’STOP TAKEAWAySFROMTHE GREENWAVE’SWIN IN TULSA

WHATWELEARNED

1

Tulane is readyfor avigorous pursuit of itssecond American Conference title in four years and its fourth consecutivetitle-game appearance.The Green Wave was far from perfect in its league opener but has every ingredient neededtocompete for achampionship. Playmaking quarterback? Check. JakeRetzlaff made some clutch throws. Big-time running back? Check. Freshman Javin Gordon was really impressive. Functional receivers? Check.They had easilytheir best game of the year.Combine those ingredients with an aggressivedefense that registered six sacksand 13 tackles for loss, and the Wave will enter its byeweekingood shape

TRENDING NOW

2

Santana Hopper is whotheysaid he was.Teammate after teammate raved about the Appalachian State transfer’sability in spring practice and preseason drills, but he didnot exhibite that dominancedespite some flashes in the firstfour games.That changed Saturdaywhenhemade atackle for a3-yard loss early with lightning-quick penetration, wascreditedfor ahalf-sack on the next series and was aconstant menace.Four of his six stopswere behind the line of scrimmage, and he addeda full sackinthe fourth quarter.The Tulane coacheswill look at the videoand say more of that, please.

3

FINAL THOUGHTS

Despitethe positives,Tulane still has plenty to clean up.The defense wasnot prepared fora flea flickeroranonside kick that happenedinquick succession during the first quarter,and allowedaninexplicable 68-yard touchdown pass to a260-pound tight end when no one feltlikecovering him.The running backs fumbled twice.Whenthe outcomewas in hand, the fourth quarter devolved intoa penalty parade with an almost inconceivable seven flags, includingthree for holding and pass interference (twodefensive, one offensive).That stuffneeds to disappear when the Wave hosts East Carolina on

PRESS PHOTOByVASHAHUNT

Tulanetakes the field ahead of agame against Ole Miss on Sept. 20 in Oxford,Miss. Tulane traveledtoTulsa whereitearned its first conference win 31-14 on Saturday.

TULANE

Continued from page 1C

the crease, Ihit it and Isaw the safety come over the top and knew Ihad to make him miss.”

Tulane tacklers rarely missed. The Wave sacked redshirt freshman quarterback Baylor Hayes six timesand had13 stops for loss, living in the backfield all game long.

“The front really stood out defensively,” Sumrall said. “I told you guys at the start of the year Ifeltlike that could be astrength ofours. When you get into league play,what you think are your strengths havetostart to declare and show up more.”

Defensive lineman Santana Hopper stood, registering11/2 sacks and four tackles for loss. He set the tone early andnever stopped.

Last week, theWavehad four tacklesfor lossandonesackina45-10defeatatOleMiss.

“Weknew the loss to OleMisswasn’tour standard, and it hurt alot,soI feltlike we had to come out here and make astatement,” Hopper said. “Wedid thattoday. Guyswere getting on and offblocks.”

Tulane quarterback Jake Retzlaff threw for 242 yards and ran for ascore, raising his total to seven rushing touchdowns through fivegames. He has not thrown an interception.

Hayes passed for 248 yards but was only 18 of 36 while Tulsa failed to mount anyconsistent offense. The Wave held Dominic Richardson, who entered as the nation’s11th-leading rusher,to48yards on 14 carries

Despitebeingcaughtasleepthree times in the first half, Tulane never trailedand led 24-14 at the break. After Retzlaff capped aseven-play,75-yard opening drive with a12-yard scramble up the middle foratouchdown, Tulsarespondedwith a51-yard completion to the 1off aflea flicker when every member of thesecondary raced up to contain what they thoughtwould bethe GoldenHurricane’sfifth consecutiverun

Tulsa scored two plays later,then recovered aperfect onside kick up the middle before any Tulane player could gettothe ball, althoughthe Wave defense responded by forcinga punt

“Wegot outcoached early,” Sumrall said With Tulane ahead 14-7, rush end Harvey Dyson let 260-poundtight end Brody

PRESS PHOTO By ROGELIO V. SOLIS

Tulane quarterback JakeRetzlaff looks for an open receiver during agame against Ole Miss on Sept. 20 in Oxford,Miss. On Saturday, against Tulsa, Retzlaff threwfor 242 yards and ran for ascore, raising his total to sevenrushing touchdowns through five games. He has not thrown an interception.

Tulane 31, Tulsa 14

Tulane 7177 0— 31 Tulsa 77 00 —14

First quarter TUL —Retzlaff 8run (Durkin kick), 11:28 TLSA—Hardiman 1run (S.Morgan kick),9:14

Second quarter TUL —Gordon 12 run(Durkin kick), 12:10 TLSA—Foley 72 pass from B.Hayes(S.Morgan kick) 6:57. TUL —Gordon 25 run(Durkin kick), 2:13. TUL —FGDurkin 28, :12. Thirdquarter TUL —Gordon 4run (Durkin kick), 5:28. TUL TULSA First downs 22 15

of Possession34:59 24:04

INDIVIDUALSTATISTICS RUSHING —Tulane, Gordon 15-78,Barnes 8-48, Retzlaff 11-20,McClure2-17,Mobley 3-13, Sullivan 2-9, Turner 1-1, (Team) 1-(minus 1).Tulsa, Richardson 14-48, Allen 10-45, Presley 1-8, Hardiman 1-1, (Team) 1-(minus 1), Hayes11-(minus 9) PASSING —Tulane, Retzlaff 17-30-0-242, Sullivan 1-20-10. Tulsa,Hayes 18-37-1-245. RECEIVING —Tulane, Preston 5-54, Hayes4-89, Bohanon 3-42,Brown-Stephens 2-32,Z.Lewis 2-17, Reid 1-14, Barnes 1-4.Tulsa, Booker 4-10,Steptoe 3-26 Richardson 3-19, Tempest 2-84,Presley 2-5, Foley 1-72, Z.Williams 1-17,Roberts 1-9, Lucas 1-3 MISSED FIELD GOALS —None.

on thirdand 1, and no onepicked up Hayes on an easy 68-yard catch-and-run down thesideline for atying touchdown. It was nota clean half by anymeans forthe Wave, which also fumbledtwice. It was fortunate to recover Jamauri McClure’sfumble in the redzoneonthe first possession, with wideoutTre Shackelford falling on it at the Tulsa 8right before Retzlaff’s score.

Thesecondfumble did not cost the Wave,either. Twoplays after Arnold Barnes was strippedathis own40, Tulsa returned the favorwhen Hayes’ hard pitch ricocheted off Richardson’sface mask and linebacker Dickson Agurecovered theball at theTulane39, leading to Gordon’sgo-ahead touchdown. Areplay review reversal gave the ball back to theWavewhen afourth-down receptionthatoriginally wasmarked as afirst down at the Tulane 35 was moved back afoot, just shy of themarker54seconds before halftime.Retzlaffcompleted three passestoset up Patrick Durkin’s 28-yard field goal. Tulsa never threatened after the break. “Westill left alot out there,” Sumrall said. “In order to get the wins we want to getinthe stretch of league play the next few weeks, we are going to have to play a whole lot better.”

Tulane LB Agusuffers ‘serious’ injury

BY GUERRYSMITH

Contributing writer

The first open date is coming at agood time foraTulane footballteam with plenty of bumps and bruises, although the time off likely will not benefit sophomorelinebacker Dickson Agu,who wascarted off during Saturday’s31-14 winagainst Tulsa. Agu,who entered with ateambest 31 tacklesand addedfive moreSaturday,went downwith anon-contact injury while chasing Golden Hurricane quarterback Baylor Hayes late in the second quarter “Itlooks(like a) pretty substantial (injury),” Tulane coach JonSumrall said. “I’m not at liberty yet to give detailed information, but it looks pretty serious. It doesn’tlook good.” Tulane (4-1, 1-0) put 15 players, including seven starters, on the injury report theAmerican Conference released twohours before kickoff as perthe new rule for league games. Sumrall said anyone whomissed a practice during the week was required to be on the list. Defensive linemen Gerrod Henderson and Mo Westmoreland were unavailable,but all10guys rated questionable played. TheWave’snext game is Thursday,Oct.9,against East Carolina at YulmanStadium. The time off is coming after a nonconference schedule that featured three games against Power Fourconference schools and atrip to South Alabama that came down to amissed two-point conversion in the finalminute.

“We’re beat up,” Sumrall said. “Our team has been through a gauntlet schedule-wise and they are just very fatigued, so we have to be smart aboutgetting the workweneed to get, but we have to have healthy,available bodies to go play on gameday.”

Hopper hype

Defensive lineman Santana Hopper,afirst-team All-Sun Belt selection at Appalachian State last year,lived up to his billing as a true difference-maker against Tulsa. His four tackles for loss weremore than double his total of 11/2 through Tulane’sfirst four games.

“He’satwitchy,physical, violent player,”Sumrall said. “He plays with agreat motor and is a hard guy to block. During spring ball he was really disruptive in our practices, and Iwas sitting there going allright, this guy’s aload.

“He madehis presence known today forsure withhow he played.”

Knew it

The most significant play Saturday may have been Tulane’s fourth-down stop at its 36 when Tulsa was driving for apotential tying touchdown near the end of the first half

After theofficials awarded tight end Landen Lucas afirst down on afourth-and-4 catch, Sumrall predicted correctlythe replay booth would overturn the call. Lucas had to get to the 35, and defensive end Jah’Rie Garner‘s tackle lefthim alittle short. Instead of apotential tie at halftime,Tulane drove fora field goal,givingit10points in the last 2:13 of the half

“I knewthe guy’shelmet made the line but the ball did not,” Sumrall said. “I knew live it was short. Itoldthe official on the sideline that’snot afirst down, they marked that wrong. “Getting that stop thereand gettingthose 10 pointswas huge.

Youcall it the middle eight the last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutesof the secondhalf. We really won the last four minutes going in.” Lagniappe

Tulane beat Tulsa forthe third straight time and for the sixth timeinthe past eight meetings after losing 11 of the previous12. Tulane’s last loss in a regular-season American Conference road gamewas Nov. 27, 2021, to Memphis.

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 into Sunday 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 cameback. The resiliency and confidence they have is really, truly incredible.”

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 outthe 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 States, 3and 2. Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, Europe, def. Xander 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 was farmore than one shot. Europe holedputts from big and small, often getting shouted at by the spectatorsastheylinedup 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

CCSU28 Duke38, Syracuse3 Duquesne 44, NewHaven 18 Fordham 26, Holy Cross21 Harvard41, Brown7 Lehigh 44, Penn 30 Louisville 34, Pittsburgh 27 Maine 37, NC A&T 30 Morgan St. 24, Miles17 Navy 21, Rice13 New Hampshire24, Albany(NY) 6 Princeton 38, Lafayette

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 was displayed.

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.

(TBD), 2:05 p.m.

(Skubal 13-6) at

(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

n Sunday’s Games Chicago White Sox(Smith 6-8)atWashington (TBD), 2:05 p.m. Colorado (Brown0-4) at San Francisco (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 (Oviedo2-0) at Atlanta (Morton 9-11), 2:15 p.m. St. Louis (TBD)atChicago Cubs (TBD), 2:20 p.m. Wild CardGlance American League WL

OLE MISS 24, LSU 19

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.

Continued from page 1C

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.”

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.

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.

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.”

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.

“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. LSU

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

“I believe in this team,” Kelly said. “I love this group.” The offense struggled through-

THREEAND

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.

IMBALANCEDACT

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-

MICHAEL JOHNSON

STAFFPHOTO By

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

SLOW POTENT OFFENSE

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

1 2

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.

THE DETAILS

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

3 4

The Saints have won their last four trips to Buffalo.That includes a 4710 beatdown in 2017 when the Saints rushed for six touchdowns. For the Saints to make it five straight, they can’t be sloppy.Their 31 penalties lead the league.The 15 pre-snap penalties rank second. The

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-

dianapolis Colts in a 31-3 loss. Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur endured a 37-8

BRASHEAR

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

Jeff Duncan

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. 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, andtheywillbelaser-

SCORES & SCHEDULE

night The Packers sent Clark 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 to regain offensive momentum after last week’s 30-0 loss at Carolina. The spotlight will be on Falcons quarterback Michael Penix after he threw his first two interceptions of the season last week and had one returned for a touchdown. The Falcons feature running back Bijan

Chiefs, Ravens aim to avoid 1-3

BY DAVE SKRETTA AP sports

Two teams accustomed to playing for 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

Browns

OUTDOORS

SLUbeats UTRGVin Southland opener

By The Associated Press

HAMMOND Kyle Lowe and Carson Camp accountedfor four touchdowns and Southeastern Louisiana beat UT Rio Grande Valley 45-31 on Saturday night in the Southland Conference opener for both teams. Lowe and Camp were acombined 20-of-25 passing for252 yards with three touchd owns Lowe added 92 yards rushing on nine carries and a38-yard touchdown runinthe

first quarter

Deantre Jackson had 121 yards rushing and atouchdown on 13 carries for Southeastern Louisiana (3-2,1-0).Jaylon Domingeaux had seven receptions for107 yards. Kentrell Prejeanand Adyn Wilkinson also had touchdown catches for the Lions.

Eddie Lee Marburger was 16of-29 passing for 218yards and threw three touchdown passes and an interception forUTRio Grande Valley (4-1, 0-1).

Camp’s26-yard touchdown pass to Domingeaux stretched the Lions’ lead to 28-7 at the break. The Vaqueros pulled to 28-17 early in the third quarter before Jacksonbroke loose on a66-yard touchdown runand Camp hit Prejean with a29yard touchdown pass to make it 42-17 heading into the fourth.

EASTERN KENTUCKY 27, NICHOLLS STATE7: In Richmond, Kentucky, Kaden Smith returnedaninterceptionfor atouchdown and the go-ahead score, highlighting Eastern Kentucky’svictory Nicholls (1-4) scoredfirst, on a60-yard pass fromDeuce Hogan to Miequle Brockon the third play of the game, but didn’tscore again.

Eastern Kentucky didn’tallow adrive of more than 20 yards in the second halfuntil the last possessionbyNicholls. On that drive, Nicholls reached the 3-yard line before aninterception by Vito Tisdale stopped the threat.

Eastern Kentucky(2-3) tied it on a68-yard run by Brady Hensley late in the second quarter andtooka 14-7 lead on Smith’s16-yard interception returninthe third quarter

UL-MONROE28, ARKANSAS STATE

16: In Monroe, Aiden Armenta threw for 175 yards and two touchdowns in the Warhawks’ win. The win ends a15-gamelosingstreakfor theWarhawks(31, 1-0 Sun Belt) against the Red Wolves (1-4, 0-1) dating to 2009. Brandon Greil picked off Armenta on histhirdthrow of the game for apick-six for ArkansasState to take thelead early,extended its lead with a55-yard field goal, and did notscore againuntil the third quarter.

Armenta found Julian Nixon on an eight-yardscore andJake Godfrey for a37-yard touchdown. BraylonMcReynolds rushed for an 18-yard touchdown to make it 21-10 in the third quarter.McReynoldsfinished the day with 73 yards on 13 carries. Zach Palmer-Smith ran in a two-yard touchdown to seal the victory, 28-16. He had 84 yards with eight attempts. The Warhawks’ defense sacked quarterback Jaylen Raynor six times. Raynor went 29-for-46 passing with288 yards and one interception. He also had three fumbles, losingone of them.

Cruz Strohmeyer, left, stands withthe giant228.8-pound tarpon he caughtlast Sundayinwaterseast of theMississippi River withveteran tarpon guide Lance ‘Coon’ Schouest, second from left. Along for what could be ajunior worldrecord catch were, to Schouest’sleft, Heath Strohmeyer,Cruz’sdad,and fishing friend HenryDillon.

Youngman andthe sea

Strohmeyer,15, catchespossiblerecord tarpon

BY JOE MACALUSO 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.

“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.”

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.

TheCommission

Rememberthe “three” rule. Always have one hand or two feet, or two hands and one footonthe ladder at all times. Just be safe.

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.

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

AROUND THECORNER

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

What’s thestory of N.O.’s lake seawall?

BY RACHEL MIPRO

Contributing writer

The concrete seawallthat runs along the edge of Lake Pontchartrain, stretching from the Industrial Canal to West End, is afavorite spot for joggers, cyclists, fishermen and families.

Gonzales resident Connie Thompson, who grew up in Gentilly,said she had always been curious about the seawall’shistory.Thompson asked about the seawall’sconstruction andhistory,along withthe scope of the wall: “I always wonderwhy the seawall was built around Lake Pontchartrain only on the New Orleans 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 Kristi Trail,executive director of PontchartrainConservancy,reached back into the early days of European settlers and southLouisiana’salluvial flood plain to begin to describe the seawall’simportance.

Agrowing city looksoutward

After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the city began expanding, looking for ways to grow outward,Trail said. Back then, what is now the Lakeview, Gentilly and CityPark neighborhoods were all swamps. By the late 1800s, the Lakefrontwas in constant use for commerce and recreation. Fishing camps were set up with elevated walkways and 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 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 would eventually cause subsidenceissues

In the 1920s, the Orleans Levee Board began ahuge project of reclaiming land from the lake. The lakefront development used clamshells from the lake to mix with sediment dredged from the lake bottom for this new land. In 1930, the Orleans Levee Board

Ayoung ruby-throated hummingbird perches on acanna lily stalk

ThebrilliantartistCrude Things is awalking self-portrait, whose work reflects her‘crazylife’

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

Lana“CrudeThings” Guerra is apainter printmaker,sculptor, tattooist, noise musician,videographer, hairdresser,fashion designer,dollmaker,puppeteer and in the past anyway —a circus performer Guerra movedtoNew Orleanspermanently10 years ago. She’s celebratingwith abig show of paintings, prints and sculptures titled “ConjuringMadness” in theArt Conscious galleryonSt. Claude Avenue in Arabi. The show is chock-full of strange cartoon animalsand macabre people withbig teethand toomany eyes

early2000s,whensmall traveling sideshow-style circuses were athing —think glass-eaters, sword swallowersand fire dancers. Her body was pierced with sterile hooks and held aloft on cords that were manipulatedbya stilt-walking puppeteer,who made her dangle and“move around like adoll.”She said it didn’thurt. In fact, she said, it was therapeutic.

Hergarish, transientstyle is areflection of her past, shesaid. In the circus, Guerra wasa living marionette. This was back in the

In 2001, Guerra had her face tattooed as if she were adoll, with an eye patch, avalentine heart and green stripes. It’sasingular look, alittle scary,alittle sweet. “I don’tlikewearing makeup, so my makeup is permanent,” sheexplained. And, she said, she was part of an experimental musicensemblethat slipped into New Orleans on the

BY HANNAH LEVITAN Staff writer

DINING SCENE

Michelin Star ambition is changing N.O. restaurants

Deluxe tasting menus are proliferating, along with opulent wine pairings. Caviar hasbecome as common as crabmeat at aFrench Creole restaurant.

sonal comfort of fresh summer peach crumble.

The chef’s menuissix courses for$185 (and that’ssix courses on paper; other unlisted bites appear, on par with fine modern tasting menus). Wine pairings start at $110, with areserve option for $175.

It’s alavish experience, and one that mademeremember the high bar this restaurant set in the first place.

Ian McNulty WHAT’S COOKING

Waiters are ironing linens on the table just before the next party is seated, and at the end of the meal, you might get aclutch of cookies or macarons to take home with aprinted copy of the menu, maybe signed by the chefs.

If you missed the news last spring that the Michelin Guide has finally begun assessing New Orleans restaurants, there are signs around town that will clue you in just the same. Restaurants with Michelin ambition are uppingtheir game and polishingmore than just the silver For months now,Michelin’s anonymous reviewers (dubbed “inspectors”) have been at work visiting restaurants. They will determine which restaurants get Michelin Stars, regarded by many as the peak dining accolade, and Michelin’sratings in other categories,including the more populist Bib Gourmand recognition (typically for restaurants with great food and good value). Michelin says it will release its rankings at aNov.3 ceremony in Greenville,South Carolina.

In the meantime, the prospect of Michelin is making animpact in New Orleans. It’snot universal; in fact, most restaurants are staying the course. But in the upper reaches of fine dining, the influence is unmistakable. Already-fancy restaurantsare boosting the luxury level, often adopting plays from restaurants that have received star ratings in other cities.

In this, there’sthe risk of a certain sameness takinghold in acity always known for its own cuisine,and something like an arms race of expensive ameni-

tiespushing prices higher

Butthe upside is seeing excellent restaurantshitting ahigher gear while also taking their Creole source material along for the ride. That’swhat can keep worldly dining experiences rooted with adistinctive Louisiana sense of place.

The peak of this is the new Emeril’sRestaurant, which I dove into recently.Other examples of note have emerged. Here are highlightsfrom two recent tasting menu dinners that tellthe tale:

August upsthe ante

RestaurantAugust (301 Tchoupitoulas St.) hasalways lived up to its nameinthe setting, with columnsrising to thehigh ceiling, glittering chandeliers and burstsofflowers. There has long been asplurge-worthy chef’s tasting menu. Today, thesplurge is more and the dining experience is much more.

Thewholeplace shows aglowup. Service is sharper.Taper candles flicker at each table over fine Italian linens.

This was chef John Besh’sfirst New Orleans restaurant when it opened in 2001. Hiscompany, BRGHospitality,has diversified with more casual concepts, but August has alwayskept ahigh

tivesous chef Hunter Wilkinson are directing August’stasting menu.

Arecent rendition began with fruit de mar,afirst course in three acts —cured cobia in a juice Iknocked back like ashot, a crabmeat tartlet Ihad to stretch into two bites to prolong the pleasure; and then abit of theater: raw oysters, from NovaScotia this time, with another wispy drift of smoke.

Next was adecadent lumpof Tsar Nicoulai Osetra caviar,butteryitself, over apad of cultured French butter as flavorful as any sauce, tospread on acornbread muffin. Addthe toasty brioche flavor of the Champagne pairing and it becameafourth element in this harmony

level of refinement. Its kitchen has been an incubator for major culinary talent who have gone on to maketheir own impact on the dining scene (see Mike Gulotta, now of TANA, and Todd Pulsinelli, now of the LeBlanc +Smith group)

The executive chef since 2022 is Corey Thomas,and he and execu-

Button-sized chanterelle mushroomspopped outofthe single raviolo under ahay bale of black truffle shavings. Adelicate drape of matcha added acreamyumami to thegrouper.Wagyu steak, of theA5variety,was finished at thetable with amouth-coating bordelaise spooned from acopper saucepan. Dessert, always ahallmark at August,ismaintained now by pastrychef Tamber Weiersheuser This time it wasanelegantly artful rendition of the rustic, sea-

R’evolution’sevolution

Restaurant R’evolution (777 Bienville St.) was never ahumble affair.But last spring, the restaurant added anew chef’s tasting menuthat takes it to adifferent level.

This is achef John Folse restaurant, so his tasting menuisan interpretation of the Louisiana cuisine forwhich he is afamous and devoted ambassador.The R’evolution kitchen is led by his chef de cuisine, Chris Anderson, whoisaveteran of the Michelinstarred Chicago restaurants Moto and Alinea.

They’re serving asix-course tasting menufor $200, with a $120 optional wine pairing. It’s served at the food counter,a table looking into the open-hearth demonstration kitchen; or in the restaurant’sprivate rooms, and you need to book at least twodays ahead.

Atrio of canapes served on gold-painted oyster shells starts it off. Cue the smoky vapor drift. The tuna tartare remains raw but tastes blackened. Adecadent foie gras course is disguised as a small doughnut. Truffle is shaved as if it wereParmesan over bucatini that brings hogs head cheese to the party.The quail envisions haute cuisine at the hunting camp. The flavors of acrawfish boil are encapsulated in acannelloni shape with the texture of aspic, with asmoky-sweet accoutrementthat looks like powdered sugar but is memorably dubbed “andouille snow.”

This is all Louisiana, but more high touch and high concept than the regular restaurant menu, which is plenty indulgent in its own right.

Email Ian McNultyat imcnulty@theadvocate.com.

QUARTERMASTERS

n Sunday Best

“Faith, Family,and Fashion”were spotlighted at the Old Ursuline Convent Museum during thegala opening of “Sunday Best.” Dress for theevening wasjust that, recalling the better clothingassociated with Sunday,or cocktail attire. The museum’sexhibitdelved into this history —and the significance of “wearing your Sunday best.” It also showcased adozen ensemblesworn by businesswoman Gayle Benson, owner of theSaints and Pelicans teams, at significantmoments in herlife and that of the city

Three entities combined to present“Sunday Best”: the Catholic Cultural Center of New Orleans: St. Louis Cathedral and the Old Ursuline Convent Museum; the Janice Foulks Catholic Culture Seriesthat offers public events each year,such as concerts, lectures, culinary gatherings, stage performance, poetry readings and exhibit openings,and was funded in 2025 by an anonymousdonor; and New Orleans Fashion Week, the Southern region’spremierfashion platform that inspires, connects and creates community through style.All proceedsofthe gala eveningwill support the Our City,Our Cathedral Campaign to restore theCathedral-Basilica of St.Louis,King of France. The honorary sponsors were Paulette and FrankStewart. Anonymous ones added to thelisting that included as Cashmere Sponsors Mr.and Mrs.KevinAvin, Janice Thomas Foulks (in memoryof her late husband, Edward F. Foulks, M.D., Ph.D.), Dr Neil Maki,The Vincent Saia Foundation (Vincent attended with Glynn StephensJr.), sisters Leatrice Siegeland Frances Salvaggio,and Kelly and Lynn Vest. The next category,Seersucker,included Debb Almeida and David Perlis,Wayne Amedee,The Ayestas family,Jon and Errin Bellan, Louellen and Darryl Berger, Michieand TomBissell, Cindy Brennan,The Daigle family,Gayle Ehrensing,Holly&Smith Architects(Michael Holly and wife Denise, Kevin Morris,and Andre and Toots Villere), Rickie and A.J.Maloney,Jane Nalty, Dr Lynne Neitzschman, Mikel Schaefer,Jacqueline Sullivan, Derrick Varnado, and Damon Wolf Partnersfor the gala were New Orleans Fashion Week (founder Tracee Dundas)and Fox 8WVUE-TV/Gray Media. As attendees entered, theyappreciated the thrumming of harpist Judy Seghers. Headliners were numerous, includingArchbishop Gregory M.Aymond,Cathedral Rector the Very Rev Patrick J.Williams, and Christopher Wiseman, Ph.D., CCCNO executive director.The Special Events Committee included Arnold Baker,Errin Erdal-Vellan, Tracee Dundas, Janice Foulks,Lynda Grillot, David Isganitis (with Margaret Jones), Mark Johnson, Stacey LaCour,Sarah Jane McMahon Briscoe, Diane Simoneaux,and GlynnStephensJr. Concerning the Our City, Our Cathedral Campaign notables, they were chair Gayle Benson, director Kevin Avin, CoryHowat of the Catholic Community Foundation,and cabinet membersHon. John Alario,Arnold Baker (husband of Tracee Dundas), DarrylBerger,Hon. Jim Donelon, Benjamin A. Dupuy,Ron Forman, Donna D. Fraiche, Barry F. Kern,Ira J. Middleberg,Dennis Lauscha, RichardR.Smith, and Donna Stumpf. Most were sighted, as were family membersofJanice Foulks, Donald,Tricia and MaryJoThomas (from Mississippi), cousins Deanna and Louis Saab andChristina S. Bellaire, Stephen Sonnier,Shara and Patrick Hammet, Mindy Matrana,Adele and Graham Ralston, Beth and Teddy Graziano, Dr Stacy and Michael Crane, Cindy and MikeNolan,Annand Dr Tony Fuselier, andSisters Georgeann Parizek and Melanie Guste, both RSCJ. Still others were SandraDartus, Denise Nagim, Jeanie and Claiborne Perrilliat,ValGrubb,Elaine and Douglas Grundmeyer,EleanorFarnsworth, Sharon Rodi,Karen and BurtBenrud, Lele and Brent Wood,Philip and Bree Braun, Jim Walpole, exhibitco-curator SarahWaits and Brian, Bonnie Broel, Eileen Capritto, Stephen Chesnut, Susan Couvillon, Sister Beth Mouch,Sammy Steele, Joey Difatta, and Wayne LaJaunie,brother of Gayle Benson.

Guests

first gathered in theadjacent St. Mary’sChurchfor welcoming words at 7p.m. from the Rev.Williams, followed by remarksfromArchbishop Aymond(who said, witha wink, “I’m wearing my Sundaybest”), Gayle Benson, exhibit co-curator Katie Beeman,and Chris Wiseman, who singled outJanice Foulks to hearty applause. Another speaker was Tracee Dundas, who mentioned theimportanceoflookingrespectful and nice (onSundays) “to enter the House of theLord, regardlessofone’s denomination.” General hobnobbing on apleasantevening awaited.People milled about bothunder a spacious tent and outdoors for food anddrink. Thanks were extensive to event donors, especially JohnnyA.Lopez, Marty Newman and Robin Beeman, Jim Perrier,Jesse Reeks and, for the main purveyance, Pigeon Catering &Events(Dean Pigeon andDeborah Pigeon). Delightfulbackground music came from TimLaughlin and his band

The gala wrapped, and complimentsflowed,but thevarious exhibitswill still be open. Of course, the underlying message throughout wasthe continuing celebration of faith, family and fashion.

Tworecenteventsthat occurred in theFrench Quarter attested to the uniqueness of thearea and themessage of each fundraiser.“Sunday Best” and its ExhibitionGala Opening took place in theOld Ursuline Convent Museum, theoldest building in theMississippi River Valley.Blocks away,and thenight before, WWOZ, anoncommercial radio station for theCrescent City, surrounding community, and pointsafar,that operates out of theQuarter, held itsannual Groove Gala, an indoors JazzFest. The station is owned by theNew Orleans Jazz&Heritage Foundation (Friends of WWOZ, Inc.). Dickie Brennan’sTableau restaurant and Le Petit Théâtre housed thehappening.

Nell Nolan SOCIETY

Contact: nnolan@theadvocate.com

n Move to the Groove

Cherished words “sold-out.” Cherished sounds: WWOZnumbers. And both came together at Groove Gala2025, when Guardians of the Groove from 18 states rocked the night away.Attirewas decidedly casual, befitting an indoor Jazz Fest. Host Dickie Brennan closed downTableau forthe disco ado, which featured fabulous food (notably the cochon de lait and duck jambalaya) and drink, including thesignaturemango freeze. Décor included “45” records suspended from chandeliers, fun and funky WWOZ flags, drumsand other musical-themed motifs throughout therestaurant and courtyard. On the third floor,VIP hospitality took place in theParlor and Wine Room,where Brennan offered personal selections of food (caviar,oysters on thehalf shell, roast beef)and spirits in atropicaldecorated atmosphere. The second floor’sattraction was Al “Little Fats” Jackson,and on the first, The New Orleans Catahoulas, led by OZ Show Host Gerald French. Doreen Ketchens performed in thecourtyard, rendering such favorites as “Iko, Iko” and to conclude, “When theSaints Go Marching In.”

Lively moseyingwas morelike it when, at 8p.m., Groovers second-lined into Le Petit Theatre, led by The NewOrleans Nightcrawlers and OZ Show Host Craig Klein. They waved aqua insignia handkerchiefstothe beat. Inside the theater, NormanRobinson emceed, calling WWOZ “the greatest station in the universe” and thanking aslew of people and businesses. There were 21 Major Sponsors (such as Dickie Brennan &Company,and event chair Bruce Wainerand Ellie)and five more generous ones. The concert’sheadliners wereThe Nightcrawlers; Soul Queen of New Orleans Irma Thomas,aWWOZ board member along with Norman,and her hits, namely “It’s Raining;” Cyril Neville with Omari Neville;and James Andrews &the Crescent City All Stars. Electricity wasinthe air and the crowd rose in appreciation and applause. Some boogied.

Money figured in the music making, thanks to auctioneer Doug Ferrer, whoraised $40,000 with such enticements as WWOZ-related items, autographed performance garmentsfrom Irma Thomas and Cyril Neville, and the Big Easy Cruise. Thrilled with theoutcome were WWOZ board members Courtney Slatten Katzenstein, David Kerstein, Bruce “Sunpie”Barnes, RonMcClain, Chris LeBato, BrittanyMajor, David Francis, Deb Harkins, Bob Edmundson,Tara Hernandez, and SkipperBond. DarrylBerger,Jeanne and KevinPoorman, MichaelWinn, John Boutte,Richard Derbes, and the Goldfarb family weresome of the VIPs, who mingled with WWOZ General Manager Beth Arroyo Utterback,gala creator with pal Dickie Brennan. After the mainstage show,guests madetracks to the dessertsand “dance floor” with music by Show Host NeilPellegrin

Gratitude galore tapped staffmembers Dave Ankers,Amy Kirk Duvoisin, Louis Dudoussat, AshliRichard Morris, KaTrina Griffin, David Stafford, Beau Royster,Damond Jacob,Monica Landry, Murf Reeves, Maryse DeJean, DeeLindsey, JorgeFuentes, Carrie Booher,David Stafford, Karen Paige, Melanie Merz,and Charlie Steiner, whowere dubbed “the backbone of the event and the station,” as well as scores of volunteers and show hosts. Everyone queried, “When is the2026 gala?”

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

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER

By ChristopherElliott

of the boat is the perfect spot to sunbathe, watchsunsets, wave at other boaters or gaze at stars.

The Decatur is anchored in the marina’snewestdock

It features concretewalkways and is ranked in top 10% of rentals on Airbnb. It is roomy andcomfortable with lots of wood paneling and aclassy,retro feel. Instructions for thebeststayare clear,and even though there are steps throughout the boat, theyare well-lit with handrails.

Beyond the StayVacation Rentalswill also have two more yachtsavailable forshort-term rental by the 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

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.

HOLLYWOOD SOUTH

Southern storiesstaratNew OrleansFilmFest

It’s an eye-opening look at a troubled aspect of American history that is still being reckoned with.

Leslie Cardé

As the clock ticks down to the opening of the 36th annual New Orleans Film Festival in October,it’s time to look at some of the incredible offerings plucked from the 3,500 submissions this year.Here’sasmall sample of films by Southern directors from the documentary feature category

Famous music, obscure composer

New Orleans director David DuBos brings us the story of an Abbeville songwriter in his film “In AGood Place Now: TheLife and Music of Bobby Charles.”

Charles’ music was recorded by 250 artists, with hits like “See You Later Alligator,” Fats Domino’s “Walking to New Orleans” and Frogman Henry’s “(I Don’tKnow Why ILove You) but IDo,” just to name afew hits. Mostpeople, however,never heard of singer/songwriterBobby Charles, largely because he never sought fame and notoriously shunned the limelight.

“I knew Bobby’sname from Scorsese’s‘The Last Waltz’ soundtrack, but strangely he wasn’tinthat film,” New Orleansbasedfilmmaker DuBos said

“I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to do abiographical film about arecluse. After getting permission from Charles Sonnier, who controls the Charlesestate, Ibegan by tracking down photos which were taken in the U.K., the Netherlands and beyond. He’s much more popular overseas than he is here.”

Uncovering why this brilliant songwriter stopped performing was just the beginning, butthe answers came through hisclose ties to big names in the industry

“I wasn’taware of his legion of admirers and his friendship with the greats, from Dr.John Neil Young and Bob Dylan to Willie Nelson and Ray Charles,” DuBos said. “This is an artist who deserves to be in the Songwriters Hall of Fame —and isn’t.”

ThelegacyofBum Phillips

In the world of football, coaches are often regaledand, just as often, demonized. Exploringthe legacy of Bum Phillips, who coached both the Houston Oilers andthe New Orleans Saints, was thejob of threeTexasfilmmakers: David Hartstein, Sam Wainwright Douglas and Andrew Miller,intheir film, “Luv Ya,Bum!”

AlthoughPhillipsdied in 2013, hislegendlives on for one of the filmmakers.

“I was born in 1976 and grew up in Houston,” co-director Douglas said. “I remember when Iwas 5 years oldthateveryonehad Oilers gear,and BumPhillipswas an absolute phenomenon.”

TheOilers were the laughingstockand the last-place team in the NFL when Phillips became coach.Taking the team to the playoffs was just thebeginning of what made Phillipsspecial.

“Bum had ahigher calling, and it was aboutmore than winning,” co-director Millersaid.

“There was something profound about his relationship with theteam. Former quarterback Terry Bradshaw commented that Bumsaid much nicer things abouthim than his own coach, Chuck Noll,even though Bradshaw won four Super Bowls with him.”

Coming off awin in the audience spotlightcategory at the SouthbySouthwest Film Festival, “Luv Ya,Bum!” was originally the

brainchild of another production company but was turned over to thedirectorial trio for revamping.

“The relevance of this man and his positive leadership style was nothing short of surprising,” codirector Hartstein said. “Hetreated his team members like family, and it was reciprocated.”

Watch this film whether you’re a football fan or not, because at its heart it’s about much more than wins and losses.

Whotells America’sstories?

Natchez, Mississippi, relies on itsSouthern history for tourism.

But, as hordes of people flock to itsplantations and antebellum homes,filmmaker Suzannah Herbert, aMemphis native, sees the clash between history andmemory that has been a struggle for so many Southerners.

Witness New Orleansless than adecade ago, when the removal

of the city’sConfederate statues highlighted asimmering division over who decides howwetell America’shistory

“I wanted to createafilm that bothtried to questionand understandwhy so many Southerners want to hang on to the romanticism and the myth of that period, when it was so hurtful to others,” director Herbert said.

“It’shard to saythat whatyour grandmothertaught youabout your history might be biased. A lot of people arenow coming to terms with it. In fact, in Louisiana, the WhitneyPlantation is doing an incredible jobofportraying the facts about the Civil War, and reframing how we look at these historic sites.”

Awarded the prize for best documentaryfeature at the Tribeca Film Festival, the film hasa fascinating castofcharacters, which includes onetourguide who refers to Black people with asix-letterslur,the first African American to join the Natchez Garden Club and“Rev,”a Black tourguide who considers his life aministry to re-educate —even when neo-Nazis board his bus.

Aharrowing backstory

Winning theaward forbest feature documentaryatthe Winter Park Film FestivalinColoradois acompelling film from director Lindsay Quinn Pitre, “God as My Witness.” It tells thestory of aman who searches for thetruth behind his brother’s suicide andpulls back thecurtain on thesexual abusescandalthat hasplaguedthe Archdioceseof NewOrleansfor many years. Who better to tellthe story than awoman who was born in New Orleansand spenther formative years in Catholic schools? Pitrebegan herinvestigation searching forsurvivors. It’s hard to listen to someofthe harrowing tales of those who were as young as 5whentheir abuse started “Despitethe subject matter,the response hasbeen overwhelmingly positive because we aretrying to hold people accountable,” director Pitresaid. “I certainly don’tbelieve there’sanything wrongwithhaving faith, but I’m againstapedophile using faithas aweapon.”

The archdioceserespondedto filmmakers with“no comment” whenasked to explain why priests suspected of abuse were transferredtoother parishes, andthe rationalebehind itsbankruptcy filing. This is acautionary taleabout teaching your children to speak up whenanadult they trustis violating theirboundaries,no matter howhorrific thethreats to stay silent

Twelve other excellent films make up thedocumentaryfeature category.Check them out alongwiththe just-released schedule at neworleansfilmsociety.org

Email Leslie Cardé at lesliecardejournalist@gmail.com

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

DannyHeitman

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

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

More womenchoosingtoditch

accessoriestoaccentuate the look.

BY LEANNE ITALIE AP lifestyles writer

NEW YORK Pamela Anderson has nothing against makeup. It’s just that she’sbeen there, done that in her younger years. That’swhy now at 58, she’sattending fashion shows and film premiereswith ablissfully bare face.

It’s alook, especially forolder women,that serves to plague and perplex. Do we chase youth (and relevancy) with afull face, or do we foster radiant skin and march on makeup free?

“I’m not tryingtobethe prettiest girl in the room,” Anderson told Vogue ahead of arecent show she attended during Paris Fashion Week. “I feel like it’sjust freedom. It’slike arelief.”

Down hereinthe non-celebrity world, is it just as easy and comfortable to go makeup-free?Some proponents of the look, along with style and beauty experts, weigh in.

On thejob

Women, particularly older women, are not universallygiving up makeup, but Anderson, Alicia Keys and other celebrities who have publicly shown off bare faces have certainly inspired some to cast it off Working women, however, ac-

knowledge difficulties doing that on the job —especially in traditional, less creative workspaces.

“I do still think that there are some politics associated with it. More around feeling and looking polished,” said Deborah Borg, the chief of humanresourcesfor a creative-leaning company that has roughly 25,000employees.

She said she’s seen more women comeinto work makeup-free since COVID, andthinksthe pandemic significantly alteredthe workplace dynamic

Borg,49, gave up makeup four yearsago, save an occasional swipe of her bold, signature red lipstick. At Dalya, acozyclothingshopin New York’strendy Soho neighborhood, shelent herself as amodel to demonstratehow to help one’sbare skin glow and how to use attireand

Wordsfor thefallseason

Dear Readers: Below are some of my favorite quotes about fall and the changing of seasons. Ihope you enjoy their words as much as Ido.

Skin prep

Makeup artist RebeccaRobles counseledBorgand others with mature skintothink hydration when choosing products to make the mostoftheir bare faces.

Robles recommends afive-step workday routine: Agentle cleanser that doesn’tstrip theskin; avitamin Cserumtobrighten andmitigate fine lines;amoisturizer with sun protection; aseparatebroad-spectrum sunscreen for an extra boost (don’t forgettoapply that to the ears);and aglossy lip balm for abit of added polish. No mascara? No problem. Usea lash curler to offera bitofpop to theeye,Robles said. Andgently brush brows intoplace to complete the look.

Find products with hyaluronic acid andceramides, Robles suggests, and always swipe up with skincare products.Minimizetugging and pulling on the skin.

“Whenyour skin is glowing, one thing that’sreally fun to keep in mind is that lightreflects offthat moisture in the skin and can help blur out any fine lines or enlarged pores. So it’s win-win,” Roblessaid. She advised that each product shouldsit for aminute or two before the next step is applied.

Borg emphasized the ease of her morning routine since going makeup free. She used to spend about 30 minutes just on makeup. Now,she does hair and face in half that time.

Make colorinclothes sing

Natalie Tincher,apersonalstylist and founder of Bu Style, praised Anderson, Keys and other celebrities who have gone without makeup both publicly and on social media.

“They look beautiful andthey’re so confident in their natural persona and who they are that Ifeel like it’sreally giving an example for all of us womentosay,‘Hey, whatam Ihiding? Idon’t havetodothat. I can make the choice if Iwant to go no makeup, minimal makeup, full glam. Ican have those choices,’” she said.

For her clients going makeupfree,she uses athree-prong approach.

First, with clothes, “use alot of color.I call it ourfilter,” Tincher said.

Secondly,playwithtexture;it determines howlight will be reflected. “So if you have something more matte, that is goingtocreate amore soft lighting on you. If you have moresilk satin, like say something like ablouse, it’s goingtobe morelike alaser beam,” she said.

Finally,accessorize. Tincher said added touches like lapel pins, earrings and necklaces can provide a finishedpolish —especially if that polish is still expected at work.A considered style can offset judgments about goingmakeupfree, shesaid.

“Think of your outfit as the big picture. When you walk in, what is thestatement that it’smaking? It’s

not just aboutone part of you, it’s your whole presence in aroom,” she said.

More behind trend

Colleen Gehoski Steinman, who livesnear Lansing, Michigan, recently pivoted froma career in public relationsand fundraising to professionalsewing. During thepandemic, shestoppedcoloring her hair,then gave up wearing makeup much of the time. But at 59,she’snot astickler about it if she’sgoing to be in lighting that will wash her out.

“This is who we really are, and you can be beautiful just as you are,” Steinman said.

In South Carolina, Cate Chapmanmanages abagel shopand sells her homemade custards at farmers markets in the Greenville area. As ateen,she was all-in on makeup but has been happily free of it since the early 1990s.

“I just thought,for one, makeup is expensive,” said Chapman, 57. “Putting it on is time-consuming. As afemale, I’mmaking less, and my malecounterparts don’thave to put out this expense. It isn’t fair.Itfeelsexpected,and it’s not right.”

Makeup, she said, “felt like prison.” She stopped gradually,giving up foundation first. Butstill, she’s notabove applying abit of mascara on special occasions.

“Ifyou enjoy it, do it,” Chapman said. “But if you feel like aslave to it, let it go.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson reminded us, “Each moment of the year has its own beauty.” He also believed, “Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.”

Annie Lane

DEAR ANNIE

Henry David Thoreau urged us, “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influence of the earth.” He also wrote, “October is the month of painted leaves.” Margaret Fuller offered her faith in change: “Todaya reader,tomorrow aleader.”

John Keats began his “To Autumn” with the unforgettable: “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, close bosom-friendofthe maturingsun.”

Emily Dickinson, with her sharp brevity,wrote: “Besides the Autumn poets sing, afew prosaic days.” She also gave us this picture: “The morns are meeker than they were, the nuts are getting brown; the berry’s cheek is plumper,the roseis out of town.”

Robert Frost captured the ache of beauty passing: “Nature’s first green is gold, her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s aflower; but only so an hour.”

Rainer Maria Rilke heard the season’ssolemn music: “Lord, it is time. The summer was immense. Lay your shadowonthe sundials, and on the meadows let the winds go loose.”

William Blake praised the cycle: “O Autumn, laden with fruit, and stained with the blood of the grape, pass not, but sit beneath my shady roof.”

George Eliot wrote, “Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if Iwere abird Iwould fly aboutthe earth seeking the successive autumns.”

Alfred Lord Tennyson captured the melancholy side: “Tears, idle tears, Iknow not what they mean, tears from the depth of some divine despair,rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes, in looking on the happy autumnfields.”

So, when you find yourself watching the leaves fall from the trees, remind yourself that fall is not just about endings; it is aboutbeginnings as well. The leaves may drop, but the roots hold steady.The fields may rest, but spring is waiting its turn. Let the poets keep you

company as you sip something warm, take awalk underred,orange and green treesand breathe the crisp air in.They’re whispering the same message across the years:every season, especially thisone, has its own kindof beauty,and it’s worth pausing to notice Becausesometimes, the best way forward is to letgo —just like the trees do Send yourquestions for Annie Lane to dearannie@ creators.com.

HUMMINGBIRDS

Their migration peakstowards the end of September,hesaid,and most ruby-throats will beback in the tropics by October

But it’s about the same time ‘winter’ hummingbirds arrive

Species like Rufous, Allen’s, Anna’s, buff-bellied,black-chined, broad-tailed, broad-billed and calliope hummingbirds are among the14species that havebeen recordedinLouisiana during the off-season

“I personally had eight different hummingbirds in my yard last winter,” Johnson said.“They all survived the snow and the freeze and it was because Iwas getting outatlikefive in themorning to swap out the feeders to make sure

they weren’t frozen.”

Winter hummingbirds

Louisiana is in the midst of a hummingbird turnover,Johnson said,asthe tiny birdstravel thousands of milesfrom their northern breeding grounds

Since the ruby-throats arethe only species to breed in eastern North America, their migration patternsare slightly different from other nonnative species.

“Ourlocalbirds that breed here in Louisiana, they’re probably mostly gone by now,” Johnson said. “They’ve already started migrating, somost of the birds we’re seeing at feeders are coming from placesfurther north.”

Howtoattract them to your yard

Usingtheir slender bills and forked tongues, hummingbirds can guzzle nectar from long, tu-

Be honestwithpals aboutworkdemands

Dear Harriette: Irecently have become friends witha group of older women. We get along great and have had some wonderful conversations and enjoyable times hanging out together.The thing is, they have way more time on their hands than Ido. They are either fully retired or semiretired. They have no problem spending aleisurely afternoon having lunch and talking the day away.Iwas abletodo that alittle bit this summer but Iwork and have deadlines and responsibilities. Iamfinding it difficult to make time to stay connected the way that they do. Idon’t want them to feel like Iam ignoring them, but Icannot carve out hours and hours every week on weekdays to hang. How can Iget this point across withoutmaking them feel bad or stop inviting me to spend time with them? —Different Clock Dear Different Clock: First, it’s wonderful that you have friends across generations Idomybest to keep people who are younger and older than me in my close orbit. It makes life more interesting andkeeps 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 aweekday for a leisurely lunch. Youhave more time on the weekends, but even that is spotty.If you really want to cultivate this bond, suggestthat you get together once amonth That may be manageable for you, even if they gather more frequently.Doyour best to honor that monthly commitment.

Hummingbirds fl

in as theystop in Louisiana for sustenance during their migration south.

bular flowers —but they’re just as likely to lapupnectar from acolorful feeder

“They’re just lookingfor red,” Johnson said. “They’re looking for flowers. They’re looking forthatcol-

or signal,and so abig feeder sitting outonthe edge of somebody’s home is going to be really attractive.” Choosing ared feeder might be your best bet, according to the AudubonSociety,which also recommends people stay away from yellow feederssince they also attract bees and wasps.

To fill your feeder,mix ¼ cupof sugar per cup of water.Avoid using any artificial sweetener or food dye, since both can be harmful to the birds.

Johnson suggests people replenish their feeders twice aweek to keep the nectar fresh.

“If youwanttoattract wintering hummingbirds, keep your feeders going even after you stop seeing the ruby-throats migrating through, towardsthe endofOctober,”Johnsonsaid. “[If] youget awinterhummingbird, consider yourself extremely lucky.”

50 —and Imet aman recently whoinvited me on a date. We had agreat time, andweboth decided we would liketosee each other again.I was telling oneofmygirlfriendsabouthim, and it turnsout they usedtodate. She had only nice thingsto say abouthim, but it felt weird. Ilike my privatelife to stay private. Idon’t knowifIlike that a potential newlove interest of mine was once my friend’slove interest What if we decide todate? Then we would all behangingout together? I’m not sure how Iwould handle that. Do you thinkI should say something to him about the situation before it hasa chance to get serious? —Past Connections

CURIOUS

Continuedfrom page1D

Dear Harriette: Iamawoman of acertain age —beyond

Dear Past Connections: The chances thatyou could meet someone whohas dated a friend of yoursincreases as your life blossoms. That shouldn’tseemweird.It’s probably more naturalthan anything.Don’t walk away fromhim becauseofthat. Instead,tell him that this woman is your friend. Ask him if he is comfortable with continuing to getto knowyou consideringthat connection. Youmay want to agree not to talkabout details of your budding relationship withher,given their past.Honestly,it’sbest to growyour bond privately anyway.Friends have away of meddling, even when it’s unintentional. If you two hit it off well enough,dowelcome him into the fold andsee how everybodygets along Send questions to askharriette@ harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City,MO 64106.

started what would be about a21/2-year project to build an 8-foot-high concrete seawall, according to theLakefront Management Authority.The seawall was set intoplace to halt shoreline erosion and offer flood protection for the newly created area.

“The mudthey are pumping in from the lake to fill in all that area, from Allen Toussaint to theseawall,

it’sjust mud, and it’s so soft to build on,”Trail said. “So this is when theclamshell dredging began in the lake.”

Those clams were taken out of the lake to mix in with those soft soils in the neighborhoods, Trail said.

“Those neighborhoods are all built on reclaimed land, as aresult of the sea wall going in, which allowed those neighborhoods to be built,” she said.

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 becamethe Pontchartrain Conservancy

Since clamshell dredging wasbanned in 1990, the lake has started to bounce back. As forthe Lake Pontchartrain Seawall, it remains in place, battered but still gamely holding up against the waves of the lake.

“It’ssolid concrete in-

stallation techniques. …I would bet it’sprobably sunk apretty good bit over time, but Idon’thave the data on that,” Trail said.

“We’re out there every day, we see it. It’s still there. It’s still doing its job.”

Do you haveaquestion about something in Louisiana that’sgot you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include yourname, phone number and thecitywhere you live.

Halloween afterKatrina. The nightclubwhere the showwas supposed to take place was closed, she said. But she and the others made thebest of it. They stayed in abohemian boardinghouse, she recalled, attended avoodoo ceremony, slept in agraveyard,and didall thethings you’d expect experimental musicians todo.

Acrazy life

Guerra said that she lived in 15 states by the time she was 12 years old. Her late mom was in the Air Force, she said, and she was also mentally ill, maybe schizophrenic. Guerra spent her childhood in women’sshelters, short-term rentalsand evenon thestreet. Shesaidshe canrecall hanging around highwayrest stops from California to Florida, while her mother heldupasign soliciting handouts. She said she didn’t meet her fatheruntil she was in her 30s.

“I literally had acrazy life,” she said.

Sometime in the 1980s, she found herself in Canada, where she beheld aspectacular young woman, wearing aleather jacket bristling with spikes. Her cheeks were pierced with safety pins and herhair was sharpenedinto ablue Mohawk.

“It made an impression,” Guerra said

“I said, ‘Oh my God,Iwant to be agirl who looks likethat.’”

Aesthetically speaking, she would be apunk forever

Simple messyfaces

Guerra’stravels finallyended when hergreat aunt and uncletookher into their home in Providence, RhodeIsland, and provided alevel of stability she’dnever known.

Guerra may not have had much of an education up to that point, but shesaid she was smart andeager She made the high school honor roll. But —probably because of herhandto-mouth upbringing shealreadyworried how she’d make aliving Hairdressing wasthe answer.She had aflair and soon enough shehad clients. She had atrade that she could practice

anywhere. For atime sheattendedBoston University, whereshe studied painting on ascholarship.She had theskills to draw realistically,she said, buttraditional technique made her impatient.

“It took allthese steps to makeapainting,” she recalled. Then as now,Guerra craved directness. Andwhat was more direct thangraffiti? Guerra saidshe

remembers as alittle girl travelingthrough Manhattan and marvelingatthe explosion of aerosol painting that was taking place in the’70s. She said shetried her hand at tagging, though sheproduced“simple, messy faces” instead of astylized signature.

Becoming CrudeThings

Guerra usedthe toolsand techniques of graffiti to produce thestrange, upbeat murals she’scontributed along St. Claude Avenue over the past years. Shesaidshe’s neverbeen interested in vandalizing property and paintsinplaces that arealready well-known street art territory.Ideally,she said, herpublic art is awelcome distraction. “I like to get people outoftheir heads,”she said. In her paintings, everything is an eternal work in progress. She’sneverquite done. Guerra said she sometimes paints and repaints acanvas50times.

There are layers upon layers upon layers.

Years ago, Guerra made a coarsely sewn doll for afriend, whodescribed it as acrude thing.Thus, her nom de art was born.

Tyler VanDyke, astreet art authoritywho operates NOLA Art Walk tours, saidthathe’s known Guerra for seven years, andhas even hostedspraypainting classes that she led. Guerra’sart, he said, “has a nicemix of childlike wonder andcreepy,Gothic aesthetics —what they call art brut.”

“I think this city works as a mirror to what she represents,” VanDykesaid, “the morose, sinisteraspects andthe whimsey It’sa match madeinheaven.”

The street artist known as Swan saidit’stough to characterizeGuerra’sstyle.“Imean, it’sjust like dark, abstract, with bright color,cute, great, mischievous, evil, childlike, expressionistic.”

Asked why she thought Guerra chosetosettle in the CrescentCity,Swansaid it was simple. “There’snoother place in the world to live.”

Guerra said she mayseem eccentric, but these days she leads the life of an energetic entrepreneur,getting up early and working until she drops.

In away,she’saliving selfportrait, self-made and selfaware. “I think every artist paintsself-portraits whether they know it or not,” shesaid. And everyone is “putting their whole lifeonapainting.”

“I am my art. Ilive my art,” she said.

Conjuring Madness continuesthrough Oct. 25 at Art Conscious gallery,6601 St. Claude Ave. Guerra also plans ashockingly spooky puppet show at the Mudlark Theater,1200 Port St., on Oct. 30.

Email Doug MacCash at dmaccash@theadvocate.com.

Friend always flakes outatthe last minute

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.

Dear Miss Manners: Ihave alongtime friend who has ahabit of waiting until thelast minute to confirm plansoreven make them. 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.”

20 years,there might really be something wrong here.

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-

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.

Hints from Heloise

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. —J.D.W in St. Louis

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.

ATTHE

BY IANNE SALVOSA 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.

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 On

TGL is thelatest example of how golf simulator technology is expanding, fusing astaid, slow-moving sport with fast-

ä See GOLF, page 2E

La.developer aims to increase

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

throughout

The initiative, first conceived seven years ago, took on urgency after Hurricane Ida ripped through south Louisiana in 2021. In 2023, the commission bought an industrial warehouse, whichitconverted into amanufacturing facility that can bend, fold and cut rolls of steel into thestuds, joists, beams and rafters needed to construct homes.

Andithas since assembled and trained a16-person team of designers,fabricators andbuilders, who areusing the new custom steel

materials to create what the commission’s longtime CEO Kevin Belanger hopes are the first of many houses: a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom 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

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.

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

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

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

Baton Rouge

Jeffrey Ory has been hired as an instructor in mass communication, where he will teach classes in public relations.

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.

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 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 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

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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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?

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-

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:OnMonday,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’sclub, according to FidelityInvestments, one of the largest administrators of workplace retirement plans.

Fool’s Take:Fastfood anddividends

Michelle Singletary

THE COLOR OF MONEy

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 latest retirement analysis. Year-overyear,the number of 401(k)millionaires increased by nearly 20%. Meanwhile, the average 401(k) balance increased by 8.4% from ayear earlier,reachinga high of $137,800.

While thesefigures only reflect the accounts managed by Fidelity,other retirement plan administrators have reported similar trends.

The number of millionaires investing in the Thrift Savings Plan, the federal government’sversion of a401(k), also increased, rising16.4% as of June 3, compared to the previous quarter

There is akey strategy among the members of this club that is worth following. Theydonot try to time the market by jumping out duringdownturns or becoming overly euphoric during rallies. Notably,they did notpanic 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 areexperiencing higher prices because of the rising cost of imported goods. Long-term unemployment is at apost-pandemic high. The U.S. labor market added fewer jobs this summer.But markets are bubbly because they expect the Federal Reserve to lower interestrates this fall, starting with the recent quarter-point cut. Still, this administration’sself-inflicted volatilityunderstandablyhas caused anxiety for many investors.

Itry not to dismiss people’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 theirworkplace plans. Ialso revisit an example Fidelity often uses to illustrate the different types of retirementsavers and how modeling millionairehabitshas worked in the long run.

So, which type of investor 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 market saw 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-jerkreaction in April were able to take advantage of the market gains in May and June.”

This is why youshould avoid reacting to short-term swings because you can end up causing the very thing you fear Youlock in your losses and missout on themarket’s eventual 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 alsopanic 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 returnsare lower than those 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. In the secondquarter, revenue increased 5% year over year. While value is fueling sales growth, technology is enabling the restaurant chain to cut costs. McDonald’sintends to ramp up investments in artificial intelligence (AI) to improve order accuracy,minimize equipment downtime and streamline administrative tasks for managers. Investors seeking long-term income may want to consider McDonald’s.

Askthe Fool:Low-orhigh-priced stock?

Is it smarter to buy stocks of young companies trading for lessthan $20per share or higher-priced stocks, such as Mastercard (recently near $585 pershare), that are more establishedand have good track records? Iwould think it’sbetter to buy alot more shares in lower-priced stocks to makemore money.— K.L., Meridian, Idaho Astock’s price per share doesn’tmeanwhatyou probably think it does. (Stocks trading for less than around $5 per share are “penny stocks,” though, and can be extra risky.) Mature companies can have low share prices; AT&T stock, for example, wasrecently near $30 per share. And younger ones can have high share prices: Netflix shares were recently over $1,200 apiece.

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.

Eventaimstoidentify opportunities, challenges for development

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

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

“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

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 entrepre

Building the Future of Energy Logistics.

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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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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

Dr Jessica Mouledoux, a pediatric cardiologist at Ochsner Children’s, holds Samuel Bacon at one of his check-ups after his first surgery for a congenital heart defect. Mouledoux led the charge for the development of an app to help monitor a baby’s vitals at home in between surgeries.

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

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

See DAMAGE, page 2X

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, YouTube 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

DAMAGE

and

x

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.”

“Compared

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 withOchsnerHealthandfounderofOchsnersEatFit 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%,

Continued from page1X

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 surgery when he is 5years old.

Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@ theadvocate.com.

Symptoms

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.

of ear infections every parent mustknow

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.

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 communityand the whole state of Louisiana, not just LivingstonParish,tobeable to come to apropertythat allkidscan 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 beginningofCamp Up,Bonura and Wascom only offered summercamp sessions. Today, theyoffer several campsthroughout 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’s 29-year-old son, 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 going to carry him,” Wascom

By CAMP UP

said.

With the variety of activities, the goal for each one is to promote teamwork, good sportsmanship and movement.The new, permanent site at 20990La. 42,Livingston, will havea zipline,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 thesite, thanks to its 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 theexperience, he aged outat 19 yearsold.

“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 Baton Rouge.

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 hostsevents 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 April 2026 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 thefirst 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 wherever it is,”

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

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.

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.

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?

I think my family overseas are pretty proud. I went and visited them this summer, and that’s all they talked about.

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.

PROVIDED

How has this business connected you and your mom to the community?

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.

ABOVE: 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,

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.

BELOW: Jamar,a Second Harvest employee in Elmwood,shows the weightofthe fooddonations fromMaryC.Villere’s book group, the Half-Dozen Book Club

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