The Times-Picayune 09-29-2025

BURIED IN BILLS

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY JEFFREY T. BARNES Saints running back KendreMiller is tackledbyBills linebackerDorian Williams and safety Taylor Rappduring Sunday’sgame. Faced with their most difficult challengeyet,the Super Bowl favorites on the road, the Saints fought hard but ultimately fell 31-19 to theBills on Sunday in Orchard Park, N.Y.The Saints improvedgreatly from an embarrassing performance in Seattle last week and evenappeared for amoment to takethe lead in the fourth quarter, but areplay reviewand some highlightplays from reigning NFL MVP Josh Allenallowed Buffalo to putthe game away.The Saints are 0-4 and returnhometoface the NewYork Giants and NewEngland Patriots in the next twoweeks.

ä SEE COMPLETECOVERAGE OF THE SAINTSGAME. PAGE 1C

BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer

It was well past timefor Royce Duplessis to leave his fifth campaign event of the day —a Saints game watchwith dozensofsupporters at the Five OFore golf driving range —and scramble to the next one.

Theenergetic state senator moves fast,but therapid-fire slew of campaign events never leaves enough time for all the hellos and goodbyes. The exchangestypically come with ahandshake, ahug and introductory questions familiar to New Orleanians: Who’syour mom, dad, uncle? Who was your coach at Pontchartrain Park? Duplessis tries to chat with as many people as he can. All those simple questions, he says, are important

“I do believe thatNew Orleans deservestoknowthatone of its own can lead it,” saidDuplessis who donned aSaints polo for that Sunday event.“Iamtruly partof thefabric of New Orleans.” Armed with aboyish smile and

BY MARK BALLARD |Staff writer

WASHINGTON Amere decade ago, as an LSU lawstudent, J. BenjaminAguiñagapaced the parking lots around TigerStadium, going over legalarguments in his head.

ñaga

“Atsome pointbetween those evening walks and my own moot court adventures, Ideveloped alove forbrief writing andoral advocacy So,Iset outtotry to build a strong résumé for an appellate career,” Aguiñagatold TheTexas Lawbook,alaw firm publication, in 2022. He graduated fromthe Paul M. Hebert Law Center at LSUin2015. He quickly assembleda resume of clerkships with nationally prominentfederal judges,including U.S.SupremeCourt Justice Samuel Alito. Then, in January 2024, Louisiana Attorney General LizMurrill named himthe state’s solicitorgeneral Now, at 35 years old, Aguiñaga is at the center of several of the state’sfederal lawsuitsthatcouldhave seismic implications across the country, on issuesranging fromgun control to abortion to voting rights.

“He called me out of the blue oneday,” Murrill said, addingthatAguiñagais“a great writer” andcamerecommended by thejudgeshe hadworkedfor “If allthreehad picked him, then Ididn’t thinkthat allthree couldbewrong,”she said.“That’s thekindofperson Iwas looking fortobesolicitorgeneral.” Aguiñagadeclinedtocomment forthis report.

ä See LAWYER, page 5A

areputationfor sharp speeches as alegislator at the State Capitol, Duplessis hasmade abet on the appeal of both his “native son” background and outsider status at City Hall in his campaign to become New Orleans’ next mayor.He’s trying to catch up to —and draw a contrast with —the race’sconsensusfront-runnerHelena Moreno who moved to NewOrleansasa young adultand has helped lead it

ä See DUPLESSIS, page 4A

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Taliban frees U.S. citizen from Afghan prison

ISLAMABAD The Taliban on Sunday freed a U.S. citizen from an Afghan prison, weeks after they said they had reached an agreement with U.S. envoys on a prisoner exchange as part of an effort to normalize relations.

The deputy spokesperson for the Taliban Foreign Ministry Zia Ahmad Takal, identified the man as Amir Amiri. He did not say when Amiri was detained, why, or where.

An official with knowledge of the release said Amiri had been detained in Afghanistan since December 2024 and was on his way back to the U.S. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the details with the media.

Qatar facilitated Amiri’s release in the latest diplomatic achievement resulting from its security partnership with the U.S. that has secured the freedom of four other Americans from Taliban detention this year

The energy-rich nation on the Arabian Peninsula also helped in releasing a British couple who were imprisoned for months.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed Amiri’s release, saying it marked the administration’s determination, reinforced by President Donald Trump’s recent executive order, to protect American nationals from wrongful detention abroad

Police: Shooting in N.C. ‘highly premeditated’

SOUTHPORT, N.C. — A mass shooting that shattered the evening tranquility of a picturesque seaside town in North Carolina was a “highly premeditated” attack that left three people dead and five injured, police said Sunday. The suspect who allegedly carried out the attack on a waterfront bar was in custody Nigel Edge, 40, of Oak Island, is accused of opening fire Saturday night from a boat into a crowd gathered at the American Fish Company in Southport, a historic port town about 30 miles south of Wilmington, Police Chief Todd Coring said.

At a news conference Sunday, Coring said the location was “targeted,” but he did not elaborate. Authorities said Edge piloted a small boat close to shore, which was lined with bars and restaurants, stopped briefly and fired. He then sped away Roughly half an hour after the shooting, a U.S. Coast Guard crew spotted a person matching the suspect’s description pulling a boat from the water at a public ramp on Oak Island. The person was detained and turned over to Southport police for questioning officials said.

Edge is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted firstdegree murder and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He could face additional charges, Coring said.

Russian attack on Kyiv kills 4, wounds 10 KYIV, Ukraine — Russia unleashed a barrage of drones and missiles on Ukraine overnight into Sunday, killing at least four people, with Kyiv suffering the heaviest assault.

This is the first major bombardment since an air attack on Ukraine’s capital left at least 21 people dead last month

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Administration, confirmed Sunday’s casualties via Telegram and said that 10 others were wounded in the attack, which targeted civilian areas across the city A 12-year-old girl was among the dead. Thick black smoke could be seen rising from a blast near the city center Russia fired a total of 595 exploding drones and decoys and 48 missiles, Ukraine’s air force said Sunday Of those, air defenses shot down or jammed 566 drones and 45 missiles.

MICHIGAN

4 dead in church shooting, fire

Police say suspect set building ablaze, was killed by officers

BY ISABELLA VOLMERT and COREY WILLIAMS Associated Press

GRAND BLANCTOWNSHIP,Mich.— A gunman opened fire inside a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel in Michigan during a Sunday service and set the building ablaze, killing at least four people and injuring eight others. Police shot and killed the suspect, authorities said.

Hundreds of people were inside the church in Grand Blanc Township when a man rammed a fourdoor pickup with two American flags in the truck bed through the front door, then got out of the vehicle and started shooting, Police Chief William Renye told reporters Investigators believe he “deliberately” set the building on fire, Renye said.

Officers responded to a 911 call and were at the church within 30 seconds and killed the shooter about eight minutes later, Renye said. After the suspect left the church, two officers pursued him and “engaged in gunfire,” the chief said.

Flames and smoke could be seen pouring from the church for hours before the blaze was put out Renye identified the suspect as Thomas Jacob Sanford, 40, from

People gather Saturday at a reunification area at the Trillium Theater after authorities say a gunman opened fire at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Mich. Officials said at least two people were killed and eight others hurt.

neighboring Burton. Reyne did not specify a motive at a news conference on Sunday evening. Police cordoned off the street leading to the suspect’s home.

Renye said one of the wounded people was in critical condition Sunday evening and seven others were stable. The bodies of two of the victims were found as authorities searched the debris in the church, Renye said, emphasizing the search was continuing and that more victims could be found.

Earlier in the day, Renye had said authorities believed they would find more victims once they could sift through the wreckage and find where the fire was. Investigators were searching the suspect’s residence in nearby Burton. Authorities did not provide any additional details about the suspect, including whether he was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church.

It was the latest of many shooting attacks on houses of worship in the

U.S. over the past 20 years, including one in August that killed two children during Mass at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis.

President Donald Trump said in a social media post that he was briefed on the shooting and applauded the FBI for its response.

Local authorities said the FBI was sending 100 agents to Grand Blanc Township, a community of roughly 40,000 people outside Flint.

“PRAY for the victims, and their families. THIS EPIDEMIC OF VIOLENCE IN OUR COUNTRY MUST END, IMMEDIATELY!” Trump wrote.

The church building, circled by a parking lot and a large lawn, is near residential areas and a Jehovah’s Witness church.

Brad Schneemann, whose home is about 400 yards from the church, told The Associated Press that he and his daughter heard “two rounds of four to five shots” about10:30 a.m. “Then, we really didn’t hear anything for a while” before they left their home to see what was going on.

The shooting occurred the morning after Russell M. Nelson, the oldest-ever president of the Utahbased faith, died at 101. The next president is expected to be Dallin H. Oaks, per church protocol.

“The church is in communication with local law enforcement as the investigation continues and as we receive updates on the condition of those affected,” spokesperson Doug Anderson said.

Mo. governor signs Trump-backed redistricting plan

Map aims to help win another Republican U.S. House seat

BY DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov

Mike Kehoe signed a new U.S. House map into law Sunday as part of President Donald Trump’s plan to try to hold on to a narrow Republican majority in next year’s congressional election.

Kehoe’s signature puts the revised districts into state law with a goal of helping Republicans win one additional seat. But it may not be the final action. Opponents are pursuing a referendum petition that, if successful, would force a statewide vote on the new map.

They also have brought several lawsuits against it.

U.S. House districts were redrawn across the country after the 2020 census to account for population changes. But Missouri is the third state this year to try to redraw its districts for partisan advantage, a process known as gerrymandering.

Republican lawmakers in Texas passed a new U.S. House map last month aimed at helping their party win five additional seats. Democratic lawmakers in California countered with their own redistricting plan aimed at winning five more seats, though it still needs voter approval. Other states also are considering redistricting. Each seat could be critical, because Democrats need to gain just three seats to win control of the House, which would allow them

Netanyahu: Israel, U.S. working on ceasefire plan

Gaza death toll tops 66,000

BY SAMY MAGDY, MELANIE LIDMAN and GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO Associated Press

TELAVIV,Israel — On the eve of meeting with President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel is working on a new ceasefire plan with the White House, but details are still being sorted out Netanyahu has come under heavy international pressure to end the war, especially during the ongoing offensive in Gaza City The death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has topped 66,000 Palestinians, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Sunday In Monday’s White House meeting, Trump is expected to share a new proposal for ending the conflict

“We’re working on it,” Netanyahu told Fox News Sunday’s “The Sunday Briefing.” “It’s not been finalized yet, but we’re working with President Trump’s team, actually as we speak, and I hope we can — we can make it a go.”

Arab officials briefed on the plan say the 21-point proposal calls for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages held by Hamas within 48 hours and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the proposal has not been formally announced.

Netanyahu has vowed to continue fighting until Hamas, whose Oct. 7, 2023, at-

to obstruct Trump’s agenda and launch investigations into him.

Trump is trying to stave off a historic trend in which the president’s party typically loses seats in midterm elections.

Republicans currently hold six of Missouri’s eight U.S. House seats. The new map targets a seat held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver by shaving off portions of his Kansas City district and stretching the rest of it into Republicanheavy rural areas. It reduces the number of Black and minority residents in Cleaver’s district, which he has represented for two decades after serving as Kansas City’s first

Black mayor Cleaver has denounced the redistricting plan for using Kansas City’s Troost Avenue — a street that has long segregated Black and white residents as one of the di-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY JEHAD ALSHRAF Dr Paul Ransom, of the

tack triggered the war, is destroyed But he repeated an offer to allow Hamas operatives to leave Gaza as part of a deal ending the conflict

“If they finish the war, release all the hostages, we let them out,” he said.

Trump has so far stood behind Israel. But the U.S. leader has shown signs of impatience lately, particularly after Israel struck the headquarters of Hamas’ political leadership in Doha Qatar earlier this month. Ceasefire talks have stalled since, despite growing international and domestic protests.

Key Western allies have joined a list of countries recognizing a Palestinian state over Israeli objections The European Union is considering sanctions and there are growing moves for a sports and cultural boycott against Israel.

A defiant Netanyahu told fellow world leaders Friday at the U.N. General Assembly that his nation “must finish the job” against Hamas in Gaza, where 48 hostages are still held captive, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive. Trump’s ceasefire proposal would include the release of all hostages within 48 hours and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian enclave, according to three Arab officials briefed on the plan. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing talks, said the proposal is not final and changes are highly likely

viding lines for the new districts.

Kehoe has defended the new map as a means of boosting Missouri’s “conservative, common-sense values” in the nation’s capital.

“Missourians are more alike than we are different, and our values, across both sides of the aisle, are closer to each other than those of the congressional representation of states like New York, California, and Illinois. We believe this map best represents Missourians, and I appreciate the support and efforts of state legislators, our congressional delegation, and President Trump in getting this map to my desk,” Kehoe said in a statement. Kehoe signed the new law during an event that was closed to the public.

Opponents are gathering petition signatures seeking to force a statewide referendum on the new map.

Shutdown standoff deepensahead of keymeeting

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN and MARYCLAREJALONICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON TopSenate

Democrat Chuck Schumer and Republican Majority Leader John Thune are digging in ahead of this week’s deadline to keep the government open, showing little evidence of budging even as both sides have agreed to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday

Republicans say Democrats need to help them pass asimple extension of government funding by Tuesday night to avoid ashutdown and they will not agree to negotiate until after it’sapproved.

Democrats say they want immediate talks on health care, and they are willing to shut down the government if they don’tget concessions.

Ashutdown is “totally up to the Democrats,” Thune, R-S.D.,said in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“The ball is in their court,”

Thune said. “There is abill sitting atthe desk in the Senate right now,wecould pickituptoday andpassit, that has been passedbythe House that will be signed into law by the president to keep thegovernment open.”

Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the same program that “it’s up to them”whether Republicanswill negotiate when thetwo sides meet at the White House on Monday.

“God forbid theRepublicans shut the government down,” Schumer said.“The American people will know it’sontheir back.”

The Senate standoff is just thelatest inannual disagreementsover funding, but hopes are dimming fora quick resolution. Democrats have suggested they are more willing than ever to allow ashutdownastheyface demands from their base voters to fight harder against Trump and the Republicanled Congress. Some even arguethat ashutdownmight notmake muchdifference becauseTrumphas slashed

so many government jobs already “We’re hearing from the American people thatthey need help on healthcare,” Schumer said. “And as for thesemassive layoffs, guess what? Simple, one-sentence answer:they’re doing it anyway.”

TheSenate is expected to vote on theHouse-passedbill to extend government funding on Tuesday,ahead of the 12:01 a.m. Wednesday deadlinetoavertashutdown. The billwould keep thegovernment open for another seven weekswhile Congress finishes its annual spending bills.

Republicans will likely need at leasteight Democrats to approvea short-term fix, as Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky is expected to vote againstit. Majority Republicans hold 53 seats and theyneed 60 votes to end afilibuster and pass the legislation.

Schumersaid Democrats need “a serious negotiation” at the White House meeting with Trumpand the four

TyphoonBualoi makes landfall in Vietnam

BY ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL Associated Press

HANOI, Vietnam Vietnam evacuated thousands of people from its central and northern provinces Sunday as Typhoon Bualoi racedtoward the country faster than expected and made landfall in the earlyhours of Monday

The storm came ashore in northern coastal province Ha Tinh and forecasters said it would move inland before weakening as it pushed northwest toward the hilly regionsofHaTinh and neighboring Nghe An. Bualoi has left at least 20 people dead in the central Philippines since Friday, mostly from drowningsand falling trees, and knocked out power in several towns

andcities, officials said. It forced about 23,000 families to evacuate to more than 1,400 emergency shelters. In Vietnam, thetyphoon was expected to bringwinds of upto83mph, storm surges of more than3.2 feetand heavy rains that could triggerflashfloods and landslides. State mediareported that more than 347,000 families had lost powerbecause of the storm. Strong gusts rippedoff corrugatediron roofsalong the highwayand toppled concrete pillars.In Phong Nha commune, about 28 milesfrom DongHoi, residents described “terrible gusts” of wind and poundingrain

“No one dares to go out,” resident Le Hang told state mediaVNExpress.

Authorities grounded fishing boats in the northern and central regions and ordered evacuations. State media reported coastal cityDaNang plannedtorelocate more than210,000 people, while Hue to its north prepared to movemore than 32,000 coastal residentstosafer ground.

The Civil Aviation Authority said operations were suspended at four coastal airports,including Danang International Airport, with several flightsrescheduled.

Heavy rains have drenched central provinces since Saturday night.In Hue, floods swamped lowlyingstreets, storms ripped off roofs and at least one personwas reportedmissingafter being sweptaway by floodwaters.

topcongressional leaders, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries,DN.Y.,and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton. Trump lastweek abruptly canceled aplanned meeting with Democrats after “reviewing thedetails of the unseriousand ridiculous demands” of Democrats, Trump said on social media.

Schumersaidthe resched-

uled White House meeting is “a good first step.”

“Nowifthe president at this meeting is going to rant and just yell at Democrats and talk about all his alleged grievances and say this, that and the other thing, we won’t get anything done. But my hope is it will be aserious negotiation,” Schumer said.

Ahead of the last potential government shutdown

in March, many Democrats calledonSchumer to resign afterheprovidedsupport for Republicans to keep the government open. Democrats now fear among other things, that Republicans will allow Affordable Care Act tax credits expire thathavemade health insurance moreaffordable formillionsofpeoplesince the COVID-19pandemic Informally known as Obamacare, tax credits for the expanded health coverage programwhichgotolowandmiddle-income people, are set to expire at the end of the year and open enrollment starts in November. SomeRepublicans are open to extending the tax credits, but notwithout changes. Thune said Sunday that theprogramis“desperately in need of reform” and“is fraughtwithwaste, fraud, and abuse. There are so many people whodon’t even know they have coverage, because thepayments are made directly to the insurance company.”

Tropical StormImeldaforms

By The Associated Press

MIAMI Tropical Storm

Imelda formed Sunday and is expected to become ahurricane on aforecast track curving away from the U.S. East Coast early this week. The storm dumped rain and churnedupseas near the Bahamas and Cuba and even briefly prompted atropical storm watch on astretch of Florida’sAtlanticcoast. Meanwhile, Hurricane Humbertoweakened slightly but remained apowerful Category4 storm further out in the Atlantic, threatening Bermuda.The Bermuda Weather Service issued a tropical storm watch, meaning tropical storm conditions were possible on theisland nation within 48 hours.

About 4p.m., Imelda was about 55 milessouth-southwest of the northwest Ba-

By The Associated Press

NEW YORK New York City

MayorEric Adams ended his struggling reelection campaign Sunday,anacknowledgment that he was no longeracredible contender after ayear of scandal and political turmoil.

In avideoreleased on social media, Adams spoke proudly of his tenure as mayor.But he said his nowdismissedfederal corruption case left voters wary of him, and“constantmedia speculation”about his future made it impossible to raise enough money to run aserious campaign.

hamas and about 355miles southeast of Cape Canaveral in Brevard County, Florida, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Imelda was headed north at 9mph, bearing top sustained winds of 40 mph. The hurricanecenter said the storm wasexpected to move across the central and northwestern Bahamasthrough Sunday nightand then spin east-northeastawayfrom the southeastern U.S. by midweek.

Atropical storm watch for the east coast of Florida from the Palm BeachMartin County Line to the Flagler-Volusia County Line was discontinuedSunday afternoon. Butthe hurricane center urged people on the southeastU.S.coasttomonitor Imelda’sprogress.

South Carolina Gov.Henry McMasteralso urged

he said. Adams did not endorse anyofthe remaining candidates in the race, but he warned of “insidious forces” using local government to “advancedivisive agendas.”

“Thatisnot change,that is chaos,” Adamssaid. “Instead, IurgeNew Yorkers to chooseleadersnot by whattheypromise, butby what they have delivered.”

vigilance, althoughcoastal Georgetown County said it wasreturning to normal operations becauseofan improving forecast for that area.

“Whatwelearn every time is we neverknow where they are going to go,” McMaster said at a news conference to discuss emergency preparations. “This storm is deadly serious. Not just serious. Deadly serious.”

The South Carolina governor added that Imelda could bring high winds, heavy rain, and flooding to his state, andauthorities there were prepositioning search and rescue crewsoverthe weekend. In North Carolina, Gov. Josh Steindeclared astate of emergency even before Tropical Storm Imelda formed.

It is unclear,though, whetherenoughAdams supporters will shift their allegiances to Cuomo to makeadifference. Mamdani, 33, would be thecity’syoungest and most liberal mayor in generations if elected. He beat Cuomodecisively in the Democratic primary by campaigning on apromise to try to lowerthe costof living in one of the world’s mostexpensive cities. In astatement afterAdams’ announcement, Mamdani took aimatCuomo, whoistrying to make a political comeback after resigning the governor’s office after being accused of sexualharassment by multiple women N.Y.

“Despite all we’ve achieved, Icannot continue my reelection campaign,”

Adams’ capitulation could potentially provide alift to thecampaign of former Gov.Andrew Cuomo, afellowcentrist who portrayed himself as the only candidate able to beat the Democratic Party’snominee, state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani.

Trumptospeak at meetingoftop military leaders, AP source says

BY CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump will speak at a hastily called meeting of top military leaders on Tuesday, according to aWhite House official.

Hundreds of generalsand admirals— seniorcommand-

ers of the one-star rank or higher and their top advisers —havebeen summoned by Defense SecretaryPete Hegseth from alloverthe world to theMarineCorps base in Quantico, Virginia, with little notice The White House official was not authorized to discuss the president’splans before

apublicannouncementabout his attendance and spokeon condition of anonymity

Trumptold NBC News in an interview Sunday that theywould be “talking about how well we’re doing militarily,talking aboutbeingin great shape, talking about a lot of good, positive things.” News about the meeting

broke Thursday, andnoreasonwas initially provided for the unusualgathering.

Trump didn’tseem to know about it when first asked by reporters during an OvalOffice appearance.

“I’ll be there if they want me, but why is it such abig deal?” Trump said.

The official said thepresi-

dent’s participation wasnot part of the original plan for the meeting but that he decided that he wantedtogo.

Trump’sparticipation in the meeting raises the likelihood of apoliticized event in front of anonpartisan audience of military leaders. For example, he deliveredcampaignstyleremarkstouniformed personnel at Fort Bragg in North Carolina in June, attacking hisDemocratic predecessor,Joe Biden. The Republican president is also expanding his use of the military in American cities, arguingthatit’snecessaryto fight crime in places where Democratic leaders are failing to ensure public safety

for the past eight years as a City Council member

“Those who are already at City Hall have not risen to the challenge of solving those problems,” said Duplessis. “It was clear to me that the city needed another option.”

His campaign has also targeted Black voters specifically, though not exclusively, and he has emphasized the importance of Black political power in the majorityBlack city The tactic comes as Moreno, who is White and Hispanic, has held a steady lead in the race.

But Duplessis, 43, must also convince voters that he can accomplish his lofty goals — like creating 40,000 new housing units and implementing universal prekindergarten.

School and then Xavier University with part-time and summer jobs. He worked as a bricklayer’s assistant, a pool attendant at Stalling’s Recreation Center and a busboy at Mandina’s Restaurant.

In 2006, Duplessis put off law school when former City Council member James Carter, whose campaign Duplessis had volunteered for, offered him a job as chief of staff Duplessis, 23 at the time, was thrown into the deep end of “crisis leadership” as the office worked to assist residents recovering from Hurricane Katrina, he said at a recent campaign event in Treme.

The 7-year state senator has not been a large presence in City Hall, aside from a brief council staffer stint in 2006 and an appointment to the City Planning Commission.

Name recognition is another challenge, as he goes up against two sitting City Council members with longer track records in public office.

He’ll do so in a city where outmigration of long-term residents — another problem Duplessis hopes to tackle if elected — has diminished the power of neighborhood connections and local institutions that Duplessis hopes will propel him into office.

Path to politics

Raised in Pontchartrain Park by a postal service employee and a schoolteacher, with older generations of his family hailing from the Treme, Duplessis said the years he and three brothers spent in New Orleans Recreation Department sports programs “kept us on track, kept us out of trouble.”

The family wasn’t big on politics. (Ann Duplessis, a former state senator, is not a relative.) But Hedy and Wilfred Duplessis taught their sons the lesson of “leaving (your community) better than you found it,” said Hedy Duplessis in an interview at the Saints campaign event. At the same time, the boys were taught to be skeptical.

“My dad told us, ‘You don’t take wooden nickels,’” said Hedy Duplessis. “That’s the same spirit that was ingrained in him.” Royce was always ambitious. “As soon as we did one thing, it was, ‘What are we going to do next?’ ” Hedy Duplessis said. And he showed concern for others, particularly the underserved. At 8 years old, around Thanksgiving, Royce asked his mother to make him a Native American-inspired outfit, to commemorate their place in that history

Reminded of the moment, Duplessis laughed. “I was all the way in,” he said.

Duplessis juggled academics at St. Augustine High

“We didn’t know which direction we were going, but we knew that we wanted to be a part of rebuilding our beautiful city,” he said Sabrina Mays, a community leader who was working in constituent services in Council District B at the time, said she was impressed by him right off the bat. “He listened to hear,” said Mays. “He always was on point with his delivery and execution.”

After attending law school at Howard University, Duplessis returned home to work for Dentons, a multinational law firm specializing in energy, before rejoining the public sector as special counsel to former Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Johnson. He then started a private personal injury law practice while serving as chairman of the New Orleans City Planning Commission. In 2018, he won public office for the first time: A state representative seat for the neighborhoods of the French Quarter, Central Business District and the 7th Ward vacated by Moreno after her election to the City Council.

In 2022, Duplessis defeated fellow Democratic legislator Mandie Landry in a heated special election race. The district he now represents includes portions of the Irish Channel, Broadmoor, Uptown and Central City where he lives with his wife, Krystle Duplessis, and their 7-year-old daughter

As a legislator, he has worked to advance Democratic priorities in an increasingly conservative statehouse pushing bills to end solitary confinement for incarcerated youth and require school districts to teach mental health, among others.

He’s worked with — and even become friends with Republicans in Baton Rouge But he’s also argued against many of their proposals, becoming known for fiery comments and probing questions at the podium.

Duplessis says his collaborative leadership style is what’s been lacking at City Hall.

“I’ve reached across the aisle in a hyper, hyper conservative, vicious Legislature, being from New Orleans, being a Democrat, being Black,” said Duplessis in August. “It’s not easy in 2025, but I’ve done it.”

they see themselves in their leadership,” especially amid attacks from the federal government on Black leadership. But Duplessis said, “I’m not best for the job because I’m Black” but rather because “I’ve done the work, I have the intelligence, I have the heart.”

Over his tenure, he’s worked with Republican lawmakers to get legislation on expungements, mental health and tax credits signed into law Some Baton Rouge insiders have applauded his efforts at collaboration.

He’s struggled this year, however, to push some of his priorities through. In the session that ended this spring, none of Duplessis’ 30 proposed bills ultimately passed.

Duplessis has also called himself a “fighter” and proven as much during the campaign: taking on critics in the comments on social media, and challenging the press over stories he doesn’t like. His first television advertisement was the first attack ad by any of the candidates, using a clip of an earlier Moreno ad depicting her standing in front of a dumpster fire and accusing her of being “behind the chaos at City Hall.”

news coverage,” Duplessis said, and again pointed to his record of working across the aisle in the Legislature.

Getting into the race

After rumors last spring of his pending mayoral run, Duplessis in January surprised political observers by saying he’d stay out of the race and stick to his lawmaking job after all. At the time, he said he lacked the money needed to “effectively counter the entrenched machine politics that will stop at nothing to deceive voters for personal gain.”

Moreno had already raised over $1 million.

But later in the campaign season, as City Council member Oliver Thomas and retired New Orleans

Judge Arthur Hunter trailed far behind Moreno in fundraising and polls, Duplessis saw a path to victory

“In this era of social media influence and false narratives, I believe it is essential to correct misinformation, whether that be in the comment section or through

“People felt like they didn’t have hope, they didn’t have options,” said Duplessis.

Weeks after entering the race, Duplessis had persuaded some of the city’s most prominent Black po-

litical leaders to back him — an early August breakfast at the historic Dooky Chase Restaurant showcased endorsements by Johnson, the former chief justice, former Mayor Sidney Barthelemy, Constable Lambert Boissiere Jr and former state Rep. Louis Charbonnet, who owns the Charbonnet Labat Glapion funeral home. Hunter’s exit from the race a few days later — and his promise to join Duplessis on the campaign trail — strengthened his coalition. U.S Rep Cleo Fields endorsed Duplessis on Friday In messaging aimed at Black voters, he’s cast himself as a qualified and competent City Hall outsider who can be trusted to get the job done. He embraces his identity as a native son of the city, and in recent debates and TV ads, he’s made what appear to be entreaties to the city’s natives — or Black residents, or both — to fight against “an attempt” to “make us think we are not good enough” to lead New Orleans.

Asked for clarity on that point, Duplessis said that “representation does still matter” and that “people have a right to know that

Yet Duplessis has a daunting amount of ground to make up: Moreno has more than $1.4 million in her campaign account, far ahead of his $590,000. He is polling 11% in the race, according to the most recent publicly available poll, compared to Moreno’s 51% and Thomas’ 16%. And Moreno has netted the endorsements of former U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, current U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, Jimmy Harris, one-time mayoral hopeful Desiree Charbonnet and a host of other politicians and supporters. Former Vice President Kamala Harris called Moreno a “star” on Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC show last week. Ed Chervenak, a political scientist at the University of New Orleans, said that Moreno’s persistent lead may indicate that Duplessis’ messaging about ending the “chaos” at City Hall isn’t resonating with voters, since most people associate that chaos with Mayor LaToya Cantrell herself. A better approach might be for Duplessis to introduce himself to the public, Chervenak said.

“He’s trying to define someone else before he’s defining himself,” said Chervenak.

“People don’t want to hear about the attacks. They want to know what you’re going to do to deal with the problems that the city faces.”

‘Opportunity agenda’

Duplessis has made bold promises to transform what he casts as a bleak state of affairs in New Orleans: rapid population decline, crumbling infrastructure, and an acute housing shortage. He’s promised to create 40,000 additional housing units over 10 years, in part through hiring a new “chief housing officer” to coordinate between agencies. He’s promised to implement universal prekindergarten and to invest heavily in the BioDistrict and the Port of New Orleans to bring new jobs. But funding for his more ambitious initiatives — especially with the city staring down a projected $100 million deficit — could prove difficult.

Duplessis has said that he would conduct an audit of the city’s finances and assess whether certain “legacy contracts” that represent significant expenditures should be canceled. Still, when discussing these policy specifics, Duplessis often goes back to the theme of collaboration.

“I was taught growing up that if I have a candle and I light your candle, it doesn’t put out my candle,” he said. “I believe that there’s enough for all of us to deliver for the people who put us here.”

Email Sophie Kasakove at sophie.kasakove@ theadvocate.com.

BY LAURA UNGAR AP science writer

An Indiana woman with an autistic sonsaysPresident Donald Trump was blaming moms when he made unfoundedclaimsthat taking Tylenolwhile pregnant causes autism.

AKentucky woman diagnosed with the condition as an adult thought Trumpwas villainizing autism by describing it as a“horrible,horrible crisis.”

AMassachusetts manwhose twin boys haveprofoundautism found the Republican president’s words hopeful because it was the first time the father had seen autismdiscussed at thehighestlevels of government.

Recent comments about autism by theRepublican president and others in his administration are rippling through the United States, stirring up awide range of views

LAWYER

Continued from page1A

As sol ic it or general, Aguiñaga represents Louisiana in federal appeals, handling asheafofhigh-profile legal challenges. Many beganunder now-Gov.JeffLandry when he was attorney general, from allegations that President Joe Biden’sadministration pressured social mediaplatforms to censor conservative comments against COVID-19 vaccines to requiring all public schools to post the Bible’s TenCommandments.

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

Come Oct. 15,Louisiana willrelyonAguiñaga to presentits position before a U.S. Supreme Court considering the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act.

The case will decide whether Louisiana will have two majority-Black voting districts for the U.S. House. But the high court’sdecision in Callais v. Louisianacould reverberate across the country if the court overturns the remaining protection for minority voters in the 60-yearold law “All eyes areonLouisiana,” said Michael Li, aredistrictinglaw specialist withthe Brennan Center for Justice in New York. “It seems like the Voting Rights Act is facing amonumental path.”

Arising star

Aguiñagaisone of the country’sup-and-coming conservative legal minds, having clerked for Alito and 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Edith Jones, one of the conservative legal movement’s major dynamos.

Born in Metairie and raised in the Houston suburb of Pearland,Texas, Aguiñagaisanevangelical Protestant family man with twochildren —and longhorn cattle for pets. Before becoming solicitor

and feelings amongautistic people and their families.Some welcome the renewed focus and pledges of research money for the complex developmentalcondition. Others are outraged by what they consider the blaming, shamingand spreading claims not grounded in science.

Last week, Trump repeatedly warned pregnantwomen notto take Tylenol, known by thegenericnameacetaminophen,and he fueleddiscreditedclaims about autism andvaccines. Some studies have raised the possibility that taking acetaminophen in pregnancy might be associated with arisk of autism. Many others, however have not found aconnection andno causal linkhas been proved. Meantime, scientists stress that concerns that vaccines could be linked to autism have been long debunked. Afraudulent study claiming alink between the measles,

general,hewas an appellate attorney forJones Day, one of thenation’s largest law firms, where he represented largecorporations,includingIBM and JSWSteel USA Inc.

But Aguiñaga told LSU in April 2024 he learned his craft working for U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Donny Willett when he wasonthe Texas Supreme Court —then Jones, then Alito as the second LSU graduate to secure the coveted position on the high court.

Michelle Stratton,a Houston appellate attorneywho Aguiñagacalls amentor, agrees.

“Ben’s role wouldbeto advise his client, given his appellate expertiseand his particular experiencewith howthe U.S. SupremeCourt operates, which hewill have seen as alaw clerk,”she said.

Stratton is thefirst LSU law alumtoclerk at theSupreme Court —for Justice Clarence Thomas.

Stratton said Aguiñaga reached out,and she gave himtipstohelphim through theapplication process.

“Ben isvery humbleand genuine. He is adown-toearth person,very generous with his time and with his encouragement,” Stratton said.

SupremeCourt history

Aguiñaga told LSU in April 2024: “Clerkships are valuable not just becauseof what you learn from your judge and thework itself, butalsobecause of the people you meet and the friendships you form.”

Michael Zuckerman, who now is NewJersey’sdeputy solicitor general, met Aguiñaga when they clerked for the high court during theOctober 2018 term that endedJune2019. Zuckerman clerked for liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor,who usually finds herself at odds with Alito.

Clerksspend alot of time sounding out legalpositions and gathering information about how other justices think about the issues.

“What stood out to me was

mumps andrubella vaccinewas later retracted by thejournal that published it. Science has shown autismismostly rooted in genetics.

Dr.Noa Sterling, an OB-GYN, said Trump’scomments, particularly about Tylenol, touched a nerve for many parents of young autistic children.

“There’s this kind of narrative thatyou have to be careful of absolutely everything you do in pregnancy, andifyou eat the wrong thing or do thewrong thing, you’re going to irreparablyharm your baby,” she said. “So theTylenoljust plays directlyintothis fear that, ‘I’ve taken something that has caused this condition in my child.’”

Dani Derner,who has a4-yearold autistic son, said it is “really disappointing” that women are being blamed.

“I personally did nottake Tylenol during my pregnancy,” said Derner,ofDripping Springs,Texas.

thathewas someone who was interestedand willing to takethe time to hear what other people thought,” Zuckerman said. “I always felt he hadanopenear andopen mindwhenI shared my own thoughts thatmight be different from his. Icameto really think of him notjust as thecolleague but as a friend.”

It wasn’tall work, Zuckerman said. The clerks also spenta lotofsocialtimetogether

He said if this law thing doesn’twork out, Aguiñaga could have acareer smoking beef brisket for aliving —the highestcompliment for aTexan.

“My hands-down favorite experience was smoking my firstbriskets at the court,” AguiñagatoldLSU.“Ibefriended acourtemployee whohad built ahuge woodfiredsmokerfor thecourt, completewitha gavel atop the smokestack.”

He smoked brisketsfor the clerks and apork belly forAlito in whatAguiñaga called “an all-night affair tending to the fireina courtyardwhile editing adraft opinion.”

“I alsomiss the building itself,” he said.“Being ableto wanderdown those marble halls, grabbing soft serve fromthe cafeteria andplotting the next law clerk happy hour.”

High-stakesarguments

Aguiñaga will share the SupremeCourt dais in Octoberwithseasoned litigators who have decades of experience in civil rights law

Edward D. Greim, of KansasCity, forinstance, was presenting briefstothe SupremeCourt on election law when Aguiñaga was just entering BaylorUniversity, where he graduated in 2012. Called a“trailblazer”in election law by theNational LawJournal,Greim represents theCallais litigants, who argue that Louisiana’s two majority-Black congressional districts were racially gerrymandered and thus violated the Equal Protection Clause.

StuartC.Naifeh, of the NAACPLegalDefense and

But, she said, “somewomen might not have achoice.”

Some women said theblaming wasreminiscentofthe disproven mid-20th century theory that emotionally cold “refrigeratormothers” causedautism.

“When Iheardthat he said acetaminophen was the cause, Iwas alittle scared and alittle sad because as amom of achild with autism, Ifelt like maybe Iwas being blamed for that,” said Rachel Deaton,ofFishers, Indiana, whohas a 22-year-oldautisticson.“We really don’tknow what causes autism.”

Kelly Sue Milano, of Fullerton, California, who hasanautistic son, added:“Alot of responsibility and at times criticism is placed on mothers, Ithink, in areally unbalanced and unfair way.”

Some autisticpeople recoiledat thenotion that autism is something to cure.

“It is part of who we are,” said

Education Fund Inc.,has 20 yearsofexperience litigating voter suppression cases under theVoting RightsAct. He representsthe Robinson litigants, who contend that a third of Louisiana’spopula tion is Black an live closeenough to each other an share common interests long nored by thestate’ White congressio nal delegation. Th eVoti ng Rights Act allows the drawing of districts thatinclude enough minorityvoters to give Black candidates a chance to win in a state where White majorities have never backed an African American candidate.

DaniBowman, CEOofDaniMation Entertainment and acast member of “Love on the Spectrum.”“My mom never took Tylenol while she waspregnant with me or my sister. My dad has autism.Mysister has autism. Ihave autism.”

Others were encouraged by the attention on the developmental disorder

“Weneed avoice at the table and we have to do something,” said Matt Murphy of Ayer,Massachusetts, whohas twin 8-year-old boys with profound autism.“That’sthe hopeful thing Itakeout of this finally,the top level of government is talking about this.”

He said people with profound autism will need lifetime support, and federal and state governments will need to take action in many areas, including education and housing.Murphyisgladtosee federal money going toward research into autism’scauses.

Voting Rights Act is unconstitutional.

In March, Aguiñaga argued federal courts found twoBlack opportunity districts were allowedunder the Voting Rights Act; the courts threatened to redraw election maps themselves.

Aguiñaga alsomust contend withLouisiana changing directions on Aug. 27 from defending theneed for two majority-Black congressional districts to finding the minority-majority district unnecessary because the

Louisiana argued the GOP majority Legislature instead redrew the districts achieve political goals, not just to meet racial standards: namely, to protect the White majorities in the north Louisianabaseddistricts that elect HouseSpeaker Mike Johnson, RBenton, and Rep. Julia Letlow,R-Baton Rouge.

“We’re talking aboutthe speaker of the House. No rational state gambles with those highstakes seats in that situation,”Aguiñagatoldthe justices. He argued states needed “breathing room between the Voting Rights Act and the Equal Protec-

tion clause to balance political interests. The Supreme Court couldn’tdecide the case during its last term and asked the parties to brief on whetherthe Voting Rights Actwas constitutional. Murrill has argued that thequestionallows Louisiana to argue what it has long believed, that courts shouldn’tbeinthe business of telling states how to redraw election maps based on race. That meansAguiñaga’s presentation will dramatically change.Now he must persuade the same justices that thecreation of asecond majority-minority district is unconstitutional.

“Whetherracetechnically predominates or not…does notchange the fact that the classification is fundamentally contrary to the Equal ProtectionClause’sprohibitions,” the state’sbrief reads.

Staff writer Tyler Bridges contributed to this report. Email Mark Ballardat mballard@theadvocate.com

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NOLA.COM | Monday, SepteMber 29, 2025 1bn

1 dead in Bourbon Street shooting

Chief asks partiers to leave guns at home

BY JUSTIN MITCHELL Staff writer

One woman was killed and three others were wounded in an overnight shooting on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

The NOPD received a call of shots fired at 2:22 a.m. Sunday and found three of the victims — two women and one man — in the 100

Longtime state senator dies at 84

Lambert helped draft current state constitution

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Louis Lambert, who had a long and productive career in the state Senate and the Public Service Commission during the heyday of populist Democrats in Louisiana but who fell achingly short in the 1979 governor’s race, losing by only a handful of votes, died Saturday, according to the Rev Rodney Wood, a family friend. Lambert died in Sorrento of liver cancer at age 84 after surviving three previous bouts of cancer

“I’m a fighter,” he said weeks earlier “I’m a strong Roman Catholic. I put my faith in Christ.”

From 1972 to 2004, except for two years, Lambert served in either the Senate or on the Public Service Commission, and he served as one of the delegates who in 1973 drafted the current state constitution. Lambert became a household figure in Louisiana during the 1979 governor’s race, coming up short in a race won by David Treen, a Republican. Years later Lambert described the narrow defeat as “traumatic.”

“I owned a Ford tractor,” he said. “For a couple of months, I bush hogged to get it out of my head. I had a big pasture in Prairieville.”

Lambert wanted to run for gover-

ä See SENATOR, page 2B

block of Bourbon Street, near Canal Street.

One woman was declared dead on scene. NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said she was 33 years old and a bystander

The three surviving victims were taken to a hospital for treatment, NOPD officials said. Kirkpatrick said they all appear to be in stable condition.

being cleaned by IV Waste workers. The only business open in the 100 block was Krystal, and it did not have customers.

The entrance at Bourbon and Canal was open to drivers

BY BLAKE PATERSON

Staff writer

The Regional Transit Authority’s board has agreed to pay the agency’s former chief of staff $525,000 to avert a potential lawsuit, after she resigned last year claiming she was the victim of a hostile work environment. Katherine Bush Felton, who was hired in 2019 and worked under two different CEOs, submitted her letter of resignation in August 2024, writing that leaving the RTA was her “only route to a safe harbor” after endurRTA agrees to $525K settlement with former chief of staff ä See RTA, page 2B

One of the other victims was her sibling.

Police found the fourth victim, a female, a short time later suffering from a gunshot graze near the Canal Street and St. Charles Avenue intersection

The police chief asked residents to leave their guns at home when planning to go out in the French Quarter, adding that weapons mixed with drinking alcohol creates “high-risk” situations. By 5:45 a.m. Sunday, Bourbon Street was relatively empty and

The Bourbon Street shooting was the second homicide in the earlymorning hours, NOPD officials said. Another person was shot in the 300 block of Loyola Avenue just before 12:30 a.m. and later died at a hospital.

Just before 5 p.m. Sunday police released stills from surveillance footage of the French Quarter

showing an unidentified male who they said is a suspect in the Bourbon Street shooting He is pictured with three other unidentified people who NOPD officials described as persons of interest. Police confirmed the shooting was caught on camera. Anyone with information related to killings or depicted persons of interest can call the NOPD at (504) 658-5300. Those who would like to report information anonymously can do so by calling Crimestoppers at (504)

STILL STANDING

City promised demolition of DeGaulle Manor, but little has been done

BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer

Nearly a year and a half after city officials promised swift demolition of the former DeGaulle Manor apartment complex in Algiers, the eyesore still hulks over the neighborhood.

Flanked by dump trucks and earth movers, officials with Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration announced in May 2024 that the sprawling former housing complex would be soon be demolished as part of the city’s “Dirty Dozen” effort to tackle high-profile blighted properties across the city

But action at the site came to a halt soon after, when the city’s initial contract with demolition company Durr Heavy Construction ended “due to a change in scope of work and unexpected asbestos abatement costs,” a spokesperson for Cantrell said in an email last week. A spokesperson for Durr Heavy Construction declined to comment on Friday Now, officials say they have a new contractor in place and that the work is set to restart “as early as 1 October.”

The former 450-unit complex, which has been abandoned for 15 years, was on the Cantrell administration’s 2023 list of major blighted properties slated for demolition or rehabilitation. The list included other notorious properties like the Plaza Tower the Lindy Boggs Medical Center and Parc Fontaine Apartments.

In May 2024, officials said that, among others on the list, a historic abandoned theater on Claiborne Avenue had been demolished, a site on Bundy Road in New Orleans East was cleared of more than 13,000 junk tires, and two proper-

ties were working to address compliance. It is unclear whether issues have been addressed at any other properties since then.

The Cantrell administration has highlighted tackling blight as one of its signature issues, and in 2022 the City Council allocated $10 million to knock down 15 large commercial structures and 750 smaller residential structures over three years.

A spokesperson for Cantrell did not respond to a question about how many properties have been demolished overall.

At a council committee meeting earlier this month, Anthony Davis, the city’s code enforcement director, said that the total cost of the demolition would be $3.98 million, including more than $1 million for asbestos abatement. That’s double the cost estimate Davis gave when the demolition was announced in 2024, which he said would be billed to landlord Josh Bruno, who is the registered agent of the limited liability corporation that has owned the property since 2017.

Bruno said in an email Friday that the property is “under contract with a wellcapitalized international developer who has been ready and willing to execute a full renovation and redevelopment plan” and that moving forward with redevelopment, rather than demolition, is what will “truly benefit the community and the City long-term.”

Bruno has become the target of officials and housing advocates for his oversight of multiple deteriorating apartment complexes, and he has been embroiled in a number of legal battles, most recently after police say he tried to run down a tenant in a vehicle.

Davis told council members that rather than secure nearly $4 million for the work at once, the contractor could work in phases, demolishing a few of the buildings and completing asbestos abatement on the rest of the buildings

by the end of the year for $1.8 million.

In a statement Friday, Cantrell’s office said that the new contract with Robert Wolfe Construction was “originally capped at $3,307,200” and that the city and contractor were “finalizing a limited project scope and remain committed to advancing this important community safety initiative in a timely and safe manner.”

It is unclear whether the city intends to surpass that cap, or, if not, how it would work to decrease the project cost. A spokesperson with Robert Wolfe Construction did not respond to a request for comment.

At the meeting, council member Freddie King, whose district includes the complex, pressed Davis and Chief Administrative Officer Joe Threat to begin the work as quickly as possible.

“This is a huge safety and health risk to that community — it also presents a large development opportunity for the entire city,” said King. “We’re confident we can have that money ready and have equipment ready, shovels in the ground, boots on the ground by Oct. 1 — is that correct?”

Threat said the funding was still being finalized.

“I’ve just got to get with finance and other folks to make sure that’s available,” Threat said. King did not respond to a request for comment.

On Thursday, the property appeared neglected as ever, with abandoned tires piled up on the block of Murl Street that separates the two halves of the complex, and overgrown grass and trees blocking much of the five-story cement buildings from view It is unclear whether any of the buildings have been demolished. A few signs were posted on the metal fence reading “demolition in progress, keep out.”

On Thursday Dilcia Alvarez and Peggy Patterson were using their half-

Man admits entering homes

Cam’ron Diggs pleads guilty to rape, burglary, other charges

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

A Metairie man was sentenced to 20 years in prison after he admitted to a spree of Peeping Tom incidents in East Jefferson that included reports of women being groped and fondled in their home by a stranger

Cam’ron Diggs pleaded guilty Thursday to two counts of attempted first-degree rape, two counts of aggravated burglary, three counts of being a Peeping Tom, three counts of sexual battery and a slew of other charges according to Jefferson Parish court records.

Kenner police first arrested Diggs on June 1, 2024, after he was caught by a team of police officers conducting surveillance to catch a Peeping Tom who’d been harassing an apartment complex in the 3800 block of Grandlake Boulevard for about two weeks, authorities said. Residents of the complex told police about a man seen climbing onto balconies, peering through windows and en-

tering unlocked apartments, according to police. The thenunidentified suspect had also allegedly groped a woman as she was walking to her car in the parking lot. The officers were lying in wait at the Grandlake apartments about 4:30 a.m. when the 911 center received a call that man, matching the suspect’s description, had entered an apartment at a difference complex just over a mile away in the 600 block of Vintage Drive, police said The man fled the first apartment but entered a second in the same Vintage Drive complex, sexually assaulting a 25-year-old woman and exposing his genitals to two children who were also inside, police said.

Officers flooded the complex and took the suspect, later identified as Diggs, into custody.

Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office investigators determined that Diggs had begun the night in Metairie where he entered the Apollo Drive apartment of a 20-year-old woman, authorities said The woman was fast asleep when Diggs began touching her breasts and buttocks, according to the Sheriff’s Office. She woke because of his fondling. Diggs jumped on top of her, holding her down briefly before running from

the apartment, authorities said.

In addition to the other charges, Diggs also pleaded guilty Thursday to three counts of attempted unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling, indecent behavior with a juvenile, two counts of criminal trespassing and one count of resisting an officer Diggs pleaded guilty to two counts of obscenity for FaceTiming former female co-workers while masturbating, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Under the most serious charges, Diggs faced maximum sentences of 50 years in prison for attempted firstdegree rape and 30 years for aggravated burglary, according to court records.

Judge Frank Brindisi of the 24th Judicial District Court ordered that Briggs serve 20 years on the burglary charges and 10 years for attempted rape.

Brindisi sentenced Diggs to 10 years for sexual battery, seven years for indecent behavior with a juvenile and three years for attempted unauthorized entry and obscenity according to court records. All of the sentences are to be served at the same time.

Once released from prison, Diggs must register as a sex offender for 15 years, according to court records.

STANDING

SENATOR

Continued from page 1B

nor again, but his path was blocked in the three succeeding elections by the presence of the preeminent populist Democrat of his era: fourterm Gov Edwin Edwards. “(Lambert) was a man of conviction,” said Marty Chabert, Lambert’s seatmate in the state Senate who also served with him on the LSU Board of Supervisors. “He worried about every bill, and he worried about his people.”

Lambert grew up in Sorrento in Ascension Parish. His father ran a five-anddime corner store, allowing customers who couldn’t pay the full amount at the time of purchase to settle up at the end of the month when they received their paychecks or welfare checks. Lambert had the best grades in his high school civics class and was rewarded by becoming a page at the State Capitol for three weeks. He rode a Greyhound bus to and from Baton Rouge each day

Lambert enjoyed the work and political atmosphere so much that he wrote his congressman to ask for an appointment as a page in Congress. When the call came, Lambert was told he had to be in Washington, D.C., the next day

His parents hurriedly bought him a suit or two in Geismar and took him to the airport for his first plane ride.

In Washington, Lambert lived in a dormlike setting with the other pages while they completed their high school studies. Then-Sen. John F. Kennedy was the commencement speaker at his 1958 graduation. ThenVice President Richard Nixon handed out the diplomas. Lambert remained for a time in Washington with a job provided by then-Sen. Allen Ellender, of Louisiana. He operated a senators-only elevator at the Capitol. On his first day, though, still getting the hang of the oldfashioned equipment, he accidentally closed the door on Ellender

“It scared him, but it scared me more than him,” Lambert remembered.

Lambert joined a competitive field seeking to replace the popular Edwards, who was completing his second term as governor and couldn’t run for reelection.

Besides Lambert, the major Democrats were: Lt Gov Jimmy Fitzmorris, Secretary of State Paul Hardy, Speaker of the House Bubba Henry and state Sen Edgar Mouton of Lafayette. Treen, a member of Congress, was leading a Republican Party effort trying to reverse decades of Democratic control. Lambert, 38, was an energetic candidate, flying around the state on a small plane owned by a friend, shaking hands and giving stump speeches at every stop.

On election night, complete but unofficial returns showed that Treen led with 21.6% of the vote, followed by Fitzmorris with 20.6% and Lambert 20.5% Only 1,149 votes separated the latter two men out of 1.36 million votes cast Three days later, after the voting machines had been opened for a more exact tally, the official returns showed that Lambert had edged past Fitzmorris by 2,500 votes and was slated to face Treen in the runoff six weeks later Fitzmorris sued to overturn the result, saying voting irregularities had put Lambert in second place. But a three-day trial affirmed the vote.

Lambert returned to the campaign trail, but Treen won a squeaker by 8,500 votes and became the first Republican governor since the post-Civil War Reconstruction Era.

girl or a live boy Lambert returned to practicing law and serving on the PSC. Completing 18 years in office, he didn’t run for reelection in 1992.

“He was a pioneer on oversight of utility companies,” Fletcher said. “Truly, he made a difference on the PSC with this fight.” Diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1992, Lambert ironically turned to Edwards to give him a state job with health benefits. Edwards gave him a job in the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs. In 1994, Lambert was elected again to the state Senate and served until 2004, when he resigned to be appointed by then-Gov Mike Foster to the LSU Board of Supervisors, a plum perk.

“Louis was a team player for the Foster administration,” said Jay Dardenne, then a Republican senator from Baton Rouge. Lambert served as the Senate pro tem — a prestigious but ceremonial position — during Foster’s second term. Lambert would later say his proudest accomplishment as a senator was sponsoring legislation to create the River Parishes Community College. He ran a final campaign in 2008 when he lost a race to be district attorney of Ascension, Assumption and St. James parishes.

Lambert was inducted into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame with six others in 2024.

Later, Lambert blamed his defeat on two factors. One was that Fitzmorris, Hardy, Henry and Mouton all endorsed Treen — and went on to get high-profile jobs in the Treen administration, Lambert noted

State Sen. Eddie Lambert, R-Prairieville, and Lambert were first cousins; their fathers were brothers. Lambert leaves behind his wife, Mary and three children, Jessica, Michael and John.

Funeral plans are incomplete.

hour break from work at the Diana Head Start Center to walk laps around an empty parking lot that sits a block away from the abandoned housing complex.

They said they were hope-

ful that the neglected neighborhood would finally get long-overdue attention. The overgrown trees around the complex are a driving hazard, they said, and sometimes Alvarez and Patterson have to cut students’ time on the early learning center’s playground short because of rodents running through from DeGaulle Manor — which sits directly behind the center “They’re not doing their job,” Patterson said, referring to city officials. “When are you going to clean it up? Or when are you going to fix it up to make it presentable and safe for the community?”

Back home, Lambert attended LSU and was accepted into the university’s law school. But he couldn’t afford to go Instead, he taught school and drove a bus while he attended Loyola Law School in New Orleans at night.

Continued from page 1B LOTTERY SATURDAY, SEPT 27,

Email Sophie Kasakove at sophie.kasakove@ theadvocate.com.

Continued from page 1B

ing “substantial emotional distress, sleepless nights and damage to reputation.”

In her letter, Felton accused attorney Sundiata Haley — who until January, served as the board’s general counsel — of working with RTA employees to ruin her image, undermine her authority and create a “hostile work environment replete with gossip, backbiting and personal attacks.” Haley declined to comment for this story

Felton didn’t respond to a request for comment. Her attorney, Bill Aaron, declined to comment, saying that he thought the agreement was “supposed to be confidential.” The Times-Picayune received a copy of the settlement, which was signed in July, from the RTA through a public records request.

Former RTA CEO Alex Wiggins hired Felton as his chief of staff on contract in September 2019. Her starting salary was $157,000, and she was responsible for directing the day-to-day operations of the CEO’s office and also handling intergovernmental affairs, media relations and community engagement, among other responsibilities, according to her personnel file. Felton stayed on as the

agency’s chief of staff after Lona Edwards Hankins took over as the RTA’s permanent CEO in March 2023. She was hired on as a regular employee of the agency the following May She received cost-of-living increases each year, and by the time she resigned, she was earning a $186,239 salary In her resignation letter, Felton accused Haley of getting employees of the RTA to “file blatantly false complaints” against her, which led to investigations that required her to “engage legal counsel.” The Times-Picayune submitted a public records request on Monday for any complaints filed against Felton but has yet to receive them.

The RTA’s board discussed the settlement in executive session in May under an item labeled “personnel matters,” according to board chair Fred Neal Jr The board later voted to accept its general counsel Eric Wright’s recommendations on the matter, though commissioner Mitchell Guidry abstained from that vote. Guidry declined to comment.

The RTA’s chief external officer, Kelder Summers, said neither Hankins nor the agency’s administrative staff were involved in negotiating or executing the settlement and said it would be inappropriate for Hankins to comment.

Board Commissioner

Flozell Daniels Jr. in an interview said he couldn’t comment on the settlement. Still, he said, “unfortunately, we have been cleaning up a lot of harm that has been done at the agency by people formerly employed by the agency.”

The board signed off on a $224,000 settlement last year with the agency’s former chief operating officer, Gerard Guter, after he claimed Hankins wrongfully terminated him after he reported drivers’ complaints about former board chair Mark Raymond Jr.’s alleged misuse of the paratransit system.

The RTA is currently facing a lawsuit from another former executive, Mark Major, who is seeking damages after he says Hankins wrongfully terminated him as the agency’s deputy CEO in 2024.

Major, who filed the lawsuit in June, also accused Hankins of creating a “hostile and retaliatory work environment.” Major didn’t respond to a request for comment. His attorney Desiree Charbonnet, declined to comment.

The RTA, represented by Phelps Dunbar, filed a motion to dismiss Major’s lawsuit. Civil District Court Judge Kern Reese is scheduled to hold a hearing on that motion on Oct. 24 The RTA declined to comment on the lawsuit.

While working as an attorney in Ascension Parish, Lambert was elected to the state Senate in 1972, as a delegate to the constitutional convention a year later and to the Public Service Commission in 1974. Over the next several years, Lambert made a name opposing rate increases proposed by electricity companies and by raising concerns about the safety of nuclear power

In 1979, Lambert ran for governor, attempting to achieve the same feat as Huey Long, Jimmie Davis and John McKeithen, who had used the PSC as a launching pad for the Governor’s Mansion.

He also noted that Edwards said his wife, Elaine, planned to vote for Treen, and while the outgoing governor gave an endorsement for Lambert, it was so tepid that Lambert’s media consultant, Roy Fletcher, said they had to patch together Edwards’ comments to produce a campaign ad.

Lambert later said Edwards also worked quietly behind the scenes to boost Treen.

“Everyone in politics knew he was trying to get Treen in so he could run against him four years later,” Lambert said.

Edwards crushed Treen in 1983, quipping during the race that the only way he could lose was if he was caught in bed with a dead

Looking back, Lambert said he relished his political career despite the bumps and bruises he received along the way

“Politics is a rough business,” he said. “You have to be able to take punches and land a few.”

NewOrleans Area Deaths

EdwardsSr.,Sylvester

Fazzio, Frank

Lambour,Mark

Miller, Gail

Paul Jr., Sidney NewOrleans

Charbonnet

Paul Jr., Sidney St Tammany

EJ Fielding

Fazzio, Frank West Bank

Robinson FH

EdwardsSr.,Sylvester

Miller, Gail

Obituaries

EdwardsSr.,Sylvester

SylvesterEdwards Sr passedawaypeacefullyat his home in NewOrleans onThursday,September 18, 2025. He was87years young.Sylvester wasborn onNovember22,1937, in ltta Bena Mississippi.He was aresidentofNew Or‐leans.Sylvester wasthe son of Mr.& Mrs. Robert and Lillie MaeEdwards fromltta Bena Mississippi 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‐hind 18 GrandchildrenCon‐

trinaEdwards,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‐dren Jordan Tompson, 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, Aceyn Edwards, andGreat grand dogs GizmoQuinn 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

FrankB.Fazziopassed awayon Thursday,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 GraceFazzioand brother

BernardFazzio. ANew Or‐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 charismatic personality willbemissedbyall.Inlieu of flowers, contributionsin memoryofMr. Fazzio may bemadetothe Bridge House/Grace Housewww bridgehouse.org.Relatives and friendsare invitedto attendthe FuneralMassat 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

Lambour, Mark Stanley Mark Stanley Lambour passed away peacefully on September 24, 2025. Born in NewOrleans on February 3, 1958, Mark was a1976 graduateofBrother Martin High School and attendedUNO.Hewillbe fondly remembered forhis love of music, his quick wit, and his shenanigans. Predeceased by his parents, Jean Santenac Lambour and Malcolm PhilipLambour, Jr., and his sisterLindaMarie Lambour, Mark is survived by his brother David Malcolm Lambour, his sisterLeslieLambour 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 JacobShoen &Son Funeral Home,3827 CanalStreet, NewOrleans, on Tuesday, September 30 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. In keeping with Mark's wishes: no jackets, no ties, no solemnity. Privateintermentwill follow at alaterdate. In lieu of flowers,donations in Mark's name may be madetoThe Ellis Marsalis Center for Music: https:// www.ellismarsaliscenter .org/

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 fulfillment in helpingoth‐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. Shecher‐

ishedtheir sillinessand 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

Sidney Joseph Paul,Jr. age 83, passedawayon September 21, 2025. Sidney issurvivedbyhis wife, SylviaPaul, theirthree daughters, five grandchil‐dren, andfourgreat-grand‐children. Funeralservices willbeheldatSaint Peter ClaverCatholicChurch, 1923 St.PhilipSt.,New Or‐leans,La. 70116 on Wednesday,October 1, 2025 at 10:00 am.Visitation at9:00am. Interment: Saint LouisNo. 3Cemetery, 3421 EsplanadeBlvd.,New Orleans,LA. Repast will be heldatCharbonnetFuneral Homeinthe Historic Treme.Pleasesignthe on‐lineguestbook at www.cha rbonnetfuneralhome.com. Charbonnet LabatGlapion, Directors (504) 581-4411.

We need a ‘Jaws’ for climate change

Fifty years ago,Iwent to see the movie “Jaws.” It was terrifying. That summer,Iwent with my family to Destin, Florida, forour vacation. To my parents’ dismay, Iwouldn’tgoanywhere near the water,beitalake, abayou or even aswimming pool. Come to think of it, no one did. We were allconvinced agreat whiteshark waslurking in the shallows. Steven Spielberg had createdthe ultimate bogeyman. Today,our state (and theworld) is facing an existential threat, one far more ominous than amarauding, toothy fish. Our coastline is disappearing at an alarming rate. Soon, the waters from the Gulf will be lapping at the levees surrounding our sinking city. In comparison, the folks from Amity Island had it good. They also had asinglevillain (accompanied by achilling score) to rally against. Meanwhile, we have amenagerie of suspects. They include fossilfuels, levees and canals, natural subsidence, invasive species, deforestation, short-sighted politicians (“Drill baby,drill!”) and bovine flatulence. Solutions are far more complicated as well.Wecan’t just stay out of the water or shoot ascuba tank from the bow of asinking boat. We are addictedtoproducts made from oil, windmills kill birds, the “undeveloped” world wants to develop, changeishard and even New Orleans’ finest chefs can’tconvince people to eat nutria. In 2006, Al Gore tried to convince us of an “inconvenient truth.”Today, Greta Thunberg and Sir David Attenboroughare speaking out to unite different generations. But we still haven’t foundour own,much-needed Jaws.

FOLWELL DUNBAR NewOrleans

Let’smaketraffic violations apriority

Whatever happened to thegood old days when ayellow traffic light meant slow down, not speed up? Ithink the traffic cameras really taught us to be more aware. I noticedthat red light running was occurring less. What is wrong with fining drivers for traffic violations? There certainly aren’t enough cops to do the job

ELIZABETH MILES NewOrleans

NOLA.COM/opinions

Conditions at ICEcenters have been well documented

While Iapplaud letter writer EarlPratz’s interest inconditions in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement prisons, he is wrong to suggest that the people detained there have access to adequatefood, medical care and legal materials, and that they are only held there for short periods of time. Hisinformation appears to come from brief toursofthree of the nine ICE prisons in Louisiana.

Thesetours are conducted by theforprofit contractors who runthe prisons for the federal government. They present a rosy picture, but what really goes on inside is very different. In 2024, the ACLU published areport on Louisiana ICE detention centers based on dozens of on-site visitsover atwo-year period (2022-2024), involving individual and group interviews and areview of available documentation of abuses at these facilities. It concluded that these prisons systematically deny people’sbasic rights, including minimally nutritious food, potable drinking water,basic hygiene supplies,language access, access to legal materials, protection

from extreme temperatures and outdoor time. It documented physical, verbal and sexual abuseand abuse of solitary confinement. Detainees were often denied or were given ineffective medical care.

Theseconditions have probably gotten worse since thereport was written. It dealt with conditions that existed before the currentadministration dismantled the limited oversight of existing and newfacilities, by closing the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, the Office for Civil Rightsand Civil Libertiesand the Immigration Detention Ombudsman.

Mostpeople in these facilities(except Alexandria, where people are held just prior to deportation)languish there for months. People should seek out and listentothe stories of people who have beenheld in immigration detention and to others who have visited detainees and spent time helping them.

Thesedetention centers are unnecessary, cruel and astainonour country

AI provides opportunity, butalsorisks

Artificial intelligence is driving an economic revolution acrossthe country, and Louisiana is no exception

Over thenext six months, AI adoption in our state is projected to rise by 6%, signaling amajor shift across industries. From individuals usingAIathometosmall businesses streamlining operations and large corporations investing in research, this technology is reshaping how we work and compete.

If we saddle our innovators with one-sizefits-all restrictions or anti-innovation mandates, we risk stifling the very ecosystem that defines American competitiveness. Instead, policymakers should advance balanced policies that accelerate innovation. That meansstrengthening domestic chip manufacturing, supporting STEM education, and encouraging partnerships between small businesses, research institutionsand the privatesector

Landry, Trumphave putfocus on public safety,and it’s working

Once again, it seemslike all eyes across the country are on the Crescent City Gov. Jeff Landry’saggressive stance against crime in NewOrleans has thus farbeen adefining feature of his administration, and I applaud the governor forthe progress that he’sbeen able to makein just afew short years. As recently as 2022, New Orleans witnessed an astonishing 265 murders, the highest since the chaos following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and 2006. Landry waselected in part because of his promise to combat this surge of violence, and since his victory, Louisiana has passed into law numerous criminal justice reforms.

The results are evident: New Orleans is on pace forits lowest murder rate since the 1960s, with a 29% drop in overall crime through mid-2025 and historic declines in violent incidents. However,the city still ranks among the mostdangerous in the United States, with persistent issues like aggravated assaults and aviolent crime rate farexceeding the national average. President Donald Trump’srecent suggestion to deploy the National Guard or other federal forces to New Orleans, not unlike his deployment of the National Guard into Washington, D.C., is sorely needed in New Orleans.

Landry has welcomed this support, emphasizing his commitment to reducing crime statewide, with an emphasis on New Orleans. A partnership between state and federal law enforcement will accelerate our progress toward apermanent decrease in violent crime in the Big Easy

The governor’scritics may decry this as overreach, but with crime still much too high, decisive action is needed. Landry and President Donald Trumpare prioritizing the safety of this great city over politics. Let’srally behind them to reclaim our streets.

RAYGRIFFIN

Letters are published identifying name and the writer’scity of residence.The Advocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@theadvocate.com. TO SEND US ALETTER SCAN HERE

Recognizing this potential, Louisianain February launched a$50 million initiative focused on AI research and development. This investmentisattracting new businesses,creating jobs and fueling growth. With technology already contributing $6 billion to Louisiana’s economy,that number will only grow. For the state’snearly 500,000 small businesses, access to AI is agame changer —helpingthem improve efficiency,expand andcompete.

But America’srole as the world’sinnovation leader is not guaranteed. Foreigncompetitors, most notably China, are pouring trillions into research and infrastructure to seize the lead in AI, semiconductors, and quantumcomputing.

After reading his opinion, Imust thank Riley Hagan III. Igraduated from Louisiana Tech in 1975. The four years Iattended Tech, our football team was 44-4. Only losing four games in four years was quite phenomenal. Let’snot forget the women’sbasketball

Public-privatecollaborations, like the one here in Louisiana, show how government and industry can work together to create opportunitywhile protecting our technological edge.

If Beijing’smodel of surveillance and censorship shapes thefuture of AI, we risk embedding authoritarian standards into the digital infrastructure of the21st century Congress must act now to protect innovation, empower America’ssmall businesses and ensure our nation, not China, sets the rules of thedigital age.

REP. MICHAEL MELERINE state representative, District6 Shreveport

team while Iwas there and after.After graduating and living in New Orleans forthe past 50 years, there has been very little ever written about Louisiana Tech sports. It was refreshing to see someone give Tech its due.

REBECCA SADLER Metairie

My wife and Iare in our 80s and vulnerable to the COVIDvirus. We have been attempting, unsuccessfully,for almost two weeks to obtain aprescription from our Ochsner primary care physician to enable us to get vaccinated. Iamsure this has been due to the confusion created by our insightful governor and the Republicans in Congress and the White House. The supposedly “small government” Republicans apparently think it is “small government” to control individuals’ access to necessary health care. Gov. Jeff Landry has every right to refuse to be vaccinated, but he has no business interfering in my ability to tend to my and my wife’shealth.

FRED SCHWAB NewOrleans Getting COVIDvaccine harderthankstoGOP nannystate

CREEPYCALLERS

With Halloween justa fewweeks away,did youeverwonder what these creepycharacters do therest of theyear?

So, what’sgoing on in this cartoon? Youtell me.Bewitty, funny, crazy,absurd or snarky —just trytokeepitclean.There’sno limit on the number of entries.

Thewinning punchline will be lettered into theword balloon andrun on Monday,Oct. 6inour print editions and online. In addition, the winner will receive asignedprint of the cartoon along with acool winner’sT-shirt! Some honorablementions will also be listed.

To enter,email your entries to cartooncontest@ theadvocate.com

DON’T FORGET! All entries must include your name, home address and phonenumber.Cell numbersare best.

Thedeadline forall entriesismidnight,Thursday, Oct.2

Send in your punchline treatsand win!

Good luck! Walt

Losing trackof environmental health matters

What would you do if your primary care doctor said you were in perfect health but hadjust canceled annual tests including bloodwork, an EKG, X-rays and even the biopsy aconcerned oncologist had ordered?

You’d change doctors, of course, and quickly Unfortunately,wemust wait three years to change the person in charge of the nation’senvironmental health —President Donald Trump —even though he’s been guilty of malpractice since reclaiming the presidency in January

Isay that because Trump has been canceling research programs at federal agencies needed to monitor the nation’senvironmentalhealth and provide needed regulations. These are the medical checkups the nation has long relied on to keep you and your children safe from a growing list of environmental risks, from toxic cancer-causing pollution to the rising impacts of climate change.

Trump’sattacks began in July when his EPA director,Lee Zeldin, announced he wasdisbanding that agency’sOffice of Research and Development and laying off as many as 1,000 chemists, biologists and other researchers. That office does the independent research that uncovers threats to human health andprovides the legal justification for environmentalregulations. Under Trump’sEPA reorganization, research will nowbedirected by different offices led by political appointees who decide whatcan be investigated and how

According to Zeldin, this new EPAwill adhere to the long-held desire by many industries that their profits and the nation’seconomy should have equal status with pollution control in deciding environmental regulations. He will oversee “commonsense policies supporting clean air,land, and water for all Americans while unleashing American energy,revitalizing domestic manufacturing, cutting the cost of living for families, and growing innovationand entrepreneurialism.”

As just one example of the philosophy in action, federal officials have not made public the list of hazardous materials present at Smitty’s, apetroleum products plant in Tangipahoa that caught fire last month, citing aconcern over revealing “confidential business information.”

But Trump wasjust getting warmedupand quickly turned his attention to eviscerating climate research —knowledge critical to coastal areas struggling to adapt to rapidly rising sea levels, such as south Louisiana.

Four upcoming elections are worth watching. The first is the mayoral primary in New Orleans on Oct.11. Then, on Nov.4,voters will go tothe polls in New York City,Virginia and New Jersey.Each race has itsown mix of implications. The New Orleans election is more of alocal personality contest thana national partyorideological battle. But voters in New York City and New Orleans have something in common:They’re less enthused about their mayoral electionchoices than getting rid of unpopular incumbents.Mayors Eric Adams and LaToya Cantrell have terrible job ratings, and most voters can’twait for them topack their bags.

Topcandidates in New Orleans are state Sen. Royce Duplessis, at-large City Council member Helena Moreno andDistrict ECity Council member Oliver Thomas. All Democrats. One wild card is Republican Frank Janusa. As aconservative alternative, he could do better than expected, although Republican voter registration is less than 10% and few thinkhecan win. Moreno maintains awide lead and is running the best campaign. Her opponents have to take votes from her while they move votes to themselves, a tricky and expensive maneuver

Thebig question is whether Moreno canwin without arunoff.

The answer is yes, she can; polls now have her at 50% or higher.But we still don’tknow what happens in the final days. Will voter turnout play an unforeseen role? Will somebody surge, or fumble, at theend?

New York’smayoral election is ademolition derby,much more tempestuous than the New Orleans race. State legislator Zohran Mamdani is theDemocratic nominee and general election front-runner.His opponentsinclude a former New York governor,Andrew Cuomo, andthe current mayor,Adams. If this was acontest for Most Controversial,itwould be athree-way tie. Adamsisrunning as an independent; his Democratic basecracked up when he played footsy with the Trump administration on immigration and his federal criminal indictment was dropped. Cuomo, wholost the Democratic primary to Mamdani, is running on the “Fight and Deliver” party line. Republican nominee CurtisSilwa leads the anti-crime group Guardian Angels.

TheSuffolk Universitypoll puts Mamdani ahead with 45%, followed by Cuomo (25%), Silwa (9%)and Adams (8%). An independent,Jim Walden, has 4%.

Cuomo badly wanted Silwa, Adams and Waldentodrop out, hoping to unify the anti-Mamdanivote. Butthat hasn’t happened.

Mamdani has been endorsed by powerful Democrats, from New York Gov Kathy Hochul, VermontSen. Bernie Sanders and former Vice President Kamala Harris to Massachusetts Sen. ElizabethWarren, U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezCortez and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Some of Mamdani’sendorsements, however,have been shotgun weddings. More than afew Democrats fear his victory will harden national perceptions of theirparty as too far left. They’re alsoworried about his anti-

Israel views.It’swhy Democratic congressional leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, both New Yorkers, have yet to endorse. Voters in Virginia and New Jersey, two Democraticleaning states, will elect governors. Virginia now has aRepublican governor and New Jersey had an unexpectedly close gubernatorial election four yearsago. In Virginia, thelatest polls show Democratic U.S. Rep.Abigail Spanberger leading Republican Lt. Gov.Winsome Earle-Sears. In New Jersey,Democratic U.S. Rep.Mikie Sherrill is running ahead of Republican Jack Ciattarelli. Winning bothgubernatorial races ordinarily would be abright featherin theDemocratic cap. Butthe New York City election, on thesame day,may blot it Mamdani struck achordbyfocusing on affordability.But skeptics see the issueasafoundational effort to redistributewealth with more government, more bureaucracy,more spending and more taxes. That’swhy Mamdani’s brand of “democratic socialism” is seen by some as being alittletoo close to communism. Democratic candidates in Senateraces next year —especially in Georgia, Michigan, Maine, Ohio and North Carolina —don’tneed that millstonetocarry If Mamdani wins, Republicans will have theperfect foil, aposter boy for progressive governance. Andthat may have national consequences beyond this fall’selections.

Ron Faucheux is anonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer based in Louisiana.

To that end, Trump’sEPA is preparing to rescind the agency’s2009 finding that six greenhouse gas emissions, including carbondioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulfur hexafluoride are harmful to human health. That finding, which survived court challenges, provided the authority for awhole range of air pollution regulations as well as grants for industries to begin shifting to renewable energy.Byeliminating that scientific finding, Trump can put an end to most of the progress the nation hasmade to reduce emissions —something critical if we have any chance of slowing the sealevel rise threatening to swallow our sinking coastal zone. Incredibly,EPA staffers told The New York Times“climate regulations are whatpose the true threat to public health and welfare, because they increase the price of new vehicles and leave fewer choices for car buyers.”

Trump continued his waronclimate research by:

n Ordering the end of more than 100 climate studies.

n Telling NASA to end programs using satellites to measure carbon dioxide.

n Stripping previous National Climate Assessments from the NASA website.These reports are required by Congress to be presented every four to five years, but the Trump administration has been ignoring many rules.

n Removing years of climate research from government websites, sending scientists around the world rushing to download andsave reports and data.

Trump’sadministration and his congressional allies are actually celebrating whatcriticsare calling a“waronscience,” painting researchers as left-leaning environmentalists looking for ways to stifle industry.But this is much worse It is an unprecedented warnot just on science, but the facts that science producesand that ademocracy needs to gained consensus for important decisions.

It’saclassic tactic by authoritarians and dictators to silence any critics by controlling the flow of facts.

By canceling the research, he can tell us our environmental health is fine and we’re facing no threats, even that regulations are the problem, not the solution.

And he has made sure we won’thave the facts to disagree.

Bob Marshall, aPulitzer Prize-winning Louisiana environmental journalist, can be reached at bmarshallenviro@gmail.com

Saints running back Kendre Millercarries the ball to the end zone for atouchdownasBuffalo Bills cornerbackChristian Benford giveschase

game SundayinOrchardPark, N.Y.The Saints lost 31-19.

N.O. hangstough in loss to Bills, butMoore erastarts0-4

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y.— Kellen Moore pacedthe sideline, foldedhis play sheet and grabbed atablet to tryand see what went wrong. For most of the afternoon,the New Orleans Saints coach’steam hung tough aweek aftergetting blown out. But in theheat of Sunday’sgame againstthe Buffalo Bills, Mooredid not seem interested in moral victories. He wanted an actual win, and aturnoverondowns late in the fourth quarter made that increasingly more difficult. And Moore did not get his wish. Facing one of the bestteams in the NFL, the Saints lost 31-19 as New Orleans fell to 0-4 on theseason. TheSaints ultimatelycouldn’tslow

down Bills quarterback Josh Allen enough, with the reigning MVP completing 72.7% of his passesfor 209 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for another 48 yards on four attempts (before three late kneeldowns). New Orleansquarterback Spencer Rattler,bycontrast, made plays withhis legs (sixcarries, 49 yards),but his arm was held in check as hethrew for only 126 yards on 18of-27 passing.

“While there are positiveswithin this,the ultimategoal has yet to be achieved in agame,”Moore said “And so we’restrivingfor that and we didn’tget there.”

That ultimate goal, of course, is to win.

Butthe Saints’ responseinBuffalo

ä See SAINTS, page 4C

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y —You knew it. The oddsmakers in Vegas knew it. Everybody not wearing aNew OrleansSaints uniform Sunday knew it The Saints’ chances of walking out of Highmark Stadium withawin against one of the best teams in theNFL, led byone of the league’sbest players, were much closer to “none” than to “slim.”

Yes, theSaints played well for themost part. They didn’tembarrass themselves like they did seven days ago in Seattle, when it looked like the wheels of the Kellen Moore era had already completely fallen off. The Saints’ effort in this loss to theBuffalo Bills was much better

than that one. But as Saints defensive end Cam Jordan reminded us after the game, there are no moral victories in the NFL. The only thing that matters is what the scoreboard says. This timeitread “Bills 31, Saints 19,” which looked and sounded and felt so much better than the 44-13 beatdownagainst the Seahawks. “Isthis considered bouncing back?” Jordan asked rhetorically.“Losing is not bouncing back. At the end of the day,it’sthe samefeeling. We’ve got to find away to get in the ‘W’ column.” The Saints haven’tbeen in that column since December,when

Saints return from Buffalo with loss,aglimmerofhope ä See WALKER, page 5C

Europe repeats as Ryder Cup champ

Americans try to rally but come up short

BY DOUG FERGUSON Associated Press

FARMINGDALE, N.Y Staked to the largest lead in history, Europe fully expected to win the Ryder Cup on Sunday The surprise was how much emotion poured out of the team on a final day that produced a furious American charge and, ultimately, another Irish hero.

What looked to be only a matter of time before the European celebration was on turned into nervous glances at the scorecard as the unruly crowd at Bethpage Black finally had a U.S. team to cheer for instead of against. It went from looking impossible to improbable to just maybe. And then Shane Lowry, who endured so much abuse from a hostile and vulgar New York crowd, had the last word. He holed a 6-foot birdie putt against Russell Henley to earn the half-point Europe needed to make sure it kept that 17-inch gold chalice.

He couldn’t contain himself, pumping his fists and spinning around the green and squeezing every teammate he could find. He recalled telling his caddie as they walked up the 18th fairway, “I have a chance to do the coolest thing in my life here.”

“The Ryder Cup means everything to me,” Lowry said Ditto for all of Europe. Even a closer call than imagined did not take away from a reminder who dominates these matches. Europe has won 11 times in the past 14 Ryder Cups, and this was its fifth time winning on U.S. soil in the last 10 tries.

“They’ll be talking about this team for a long time,” Luke Donald said after joining Tony Jacklin (1985 and 1987) as the only European captains to win back to back Tyrrell Hatton, unbeaten in four matches, earned a halve against

Collin Morikawa that made Eu-

rope an outright winner

The final score — Europe 15, United States 13 — was the only real surprise.

“Shoutout to the Americans,”

Donald said, his players draped in flags of their home countries.

“We knew they’d be tough. I didn’t think they would be this tough on Sunday They fought so hard, and all the respect to them.

“This means a lot, obviously, to me and the team We came here knowing that the task was going to be very difficult. Couldn’t be more proud of these guys — what they’ve gone through, how they come together, how they’re playing for history, how they’re playing for the people that came before them and now they’ll be talked (about) for generations to come.”

The Americans at least showed

a pulse and made their opponents sweat more than anyone imagined, storming back from a seven-point deficit. No team ever won from more than four points behind going into the 12 singles matches.

There was a moment where a comeback actually looked possible.

Cameron Young and Justin Thomas won matches on the 18th hole. Bryson DeChambeau charged from 5 down to earn a halve. Scottie Scheffler avoided getting blanked by winning his heavyweight match against Rory McIlroy

“Obviously this is an extreme long shot,” Thomas said. “I’m glad Cam and I could finish like that to at least give us a little hope.”

Another point came from Xander Schauffele in the shortest

match of the day, 4 and 3, over Jon Rahm. U.S. Open champion J.J. Spaun won his match. Except for Ludvig Åberg taking down Patrick Cantlay, there was no European blue anywhere to be found. All they needed was a half-point.

That’s when Lowry came through He was 2 down with four holes to play when he birdied three of the last four, none more memorable than the last one.

His final putt will put him alongside other Irishmen who have produced Ryder Cup heroics — Graeme McDowell at Celtic Manor in 2010, Darren Clarke and his emotional week at The K Club, Paul McGinley at The Belfry in 2002.

“We gave it a good fight, that’s for sure,” U.S. captain Keegan Bradley said.

Boston, Mitchell lead Fever in win over Aces

BY MICHAEL MAROT Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS All-Star center Aliyah Boston finished with 24 points and 14 rebounds and Kelsey Mitchell scored 25 points to help the Indiana Fever avoid elimination in the WNBA semifinals with a 90-83 victory over the second-seeded Las Vegas Aces on Sunday

The best-of-five series is now tied 2-2 with a winner-take-all Game 5 set for Tuesday in Las Vegas. The winner faces fourthseeded Phoenix.

Sixth-seeded Indiana closed it out after Las Vegas mistakenly called an extra timeout with 30.1 seconds left in the game The ensuing technical foul gave Indiana one free throw and possession of the ball, which forced Las Vegas to foul after the ball was inbounded. The Fever made all three free throws to extend the lead to 87-77.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY DOUG MCSCHOOLER

Indiana Fever forward Aliyah Boston, center, reacts after being fouled during Game 4 of a WNBA playoff semifinal game against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday in Indianapolis.

in Game 3. Wilson had her 17th career playoff 30-point game to move within one of the league record that is shared by Diana Taurasi and Breanna Stewart. She became the seventh player in league history to hit the 1,000-point mark in her playoff career with 1,024 and added nine rebounds, four steals, three blocks and three assists.

MERCURY 86 LYNX 81: In Phoenix, lyssa Thomas scored 23 points, DeWanna Bonner made two key 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and the Phoenix Mercury overcame a 13-point deficit in the final period to beat the short-handed Minnesota Lynx and advance to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2021. Phoenix will face the IndianaLas Vegas winner in the championship series.

Ohtani hits 55th homer of season, breaks own record

SEATTLE Shohei Ohtani set a career high with his 55th home run of the season Sunday breaking his own franchise record for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The two-way superstar hit a 412foot solo shot to center field off Seattle Mariners left-hander Gabe Speier, boosting Los Angeles’ lead to 5-0 in the seventh inning. Ohtani had 54 home runs last season, his first with the Dodgers. His most in six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels was 46 in 2021.

The Dodgers did not have a 50-homer season before Ohtani reached the mark last season.

The 31-year-old Ohtani has 102 RBIs, reaching 100 for the third time. On the mound, the right-hander is 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts following his return from elbow surgery

DC Grantham fired amid Oklahoma St. shake-up

STILLWATER, Okla. — Oklahoma State fired first-year defensive coordinator Todd Grantham and replaced him with quality control staff member Clint Bowen on Sunday, five days after head coach Mike Gundy was let go. The school announced Grantham’s dismissal a day after a 45-27 home loss to Baylor in which the Cowboys surrendered 612 total yards.

Gundy hired Grantham away from the New Orleans Saints last December Grantham had been the Saints’ defensive line coach for two years and previously was a defensive coordinator in the NFL, Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Cowboys rank last in the Big 12 Conference and 130th in the nation in total defense.

Gauff holds off Fernandez to advance at China Open

BEIJING French Open winner Coco Gauff was forced to go the distance against Leylah Fernandez before closing out a tight three-setter 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 on Sunday to advance to the third round at the China Open. The defending champion and a firm crowd favorite in Beijing overcame a second-set stumble and then struggled to serve out the match in the third, before breaking Fernandez in the 12th game of the deciding set to clinch it. Gauff will next face No. 16 Belinda Bencic or Australian Priscilla Hon. In earlier matches Sunday, Eva Lys beat No. 10 Elena Rybakina 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 and American McCartney Kessler was leading Barbora Krejcikova 1-6, 7-5, 3-0 when the Czech player retired from the match.

Guardians’ Fry recovering from hit-by-pitch to face

David Fry was lucky to be walking around the Cleveland Guardians clubhouse Sunday before a game against the Texas Rangers.

Fry was walking around joking with teammates five days after being hit in the face on a 99 mph fastball from Detroit’s Tarik Skubal during the sixth inning of Tuesday’s game. The 29-year-old designated hitter and catcher squared around to try to bunt when the pitch struck him in the face.

The Fever used their “Stranger Things” uniforms, perhaps trying to send a message it wouldn’t let the high-powered Aces run roughshod over a team still missing four key, injured players — Caitlin Clark, Sophie Cunningham, Sydney Colson and Aari McDonald. Boston and Mitchell then de-

“It was a good old-fashioned mistake,” Aces coach Becky Hammon explained after the game. The television broadcast also showed Hammon telling her team in a late huddle they had two timeouts and a reset timeout remaining. She reiterated that point after the game.

livered it by leading the Fever to their third straight elimination-game victory in this year’s playoffs. They won the final two games against Atlanta after losing Game 1 in the best-of-three first-round series. The Aces were led, as usual, by four-time league MVP A’ja Wilson, who had 31 points after a poor shooting performance

The Mercury won the final three games of the best-of-five semifinal series. The top-seeded Lynx were playing without Cheryl Reeve, who was suspended for Game 4 because of her behavior and comments toward officials in Game 3. Minnesota also was without AllStar guard Napheesa Collier, who suffered an ankle injury near the end of the Game 3 loss.

Elliott steals Kansas Speedway race in wild OT finish

BY JENNA FRYER

cautions — Hamlin dropped from the lead to seventh on a slow pit stop that put Bubba Wallace in position to win the race. A red-flag stoppage for Zane Smith flipping his car set up the final overtime restart and Wallace was holding tight in a door-to-door battle with Christopher Bell for the victory Then Hamlin came from nowhere to catch Wallace, who drives for the team Hamlin coowns with Michael Jordan, and Wallace scraped the wall as he tried to hold off his boss. That’s when Elliott suddenly entered the frame and smashed Hamlin in the

door to get past him for his second win of the season. Elliott joins Ryan Blaney as the two drivers locked into the third round of the playoffs. The field will be cut from 12 drivers to eight after next week’s race in Concord, North Carolina. Hamlin finished second, his JGR teammates Bell and Chase Briscoe were third and fourth and Wallace wound up fifth. Elliott, in a Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, was the only nonToyota driver in the top five. Reddick races Tyler Reddick raced Sunday

and finished seventh, hours after his wife disclosed on social media their newborn son has been ailing for several months Alexa Reddick posted she was in the cardiovascular intensive care unit at a North Carolina hospital with Rookie, the couple’s second son who was born in May, working on improving his “heart function.” She wrote she had been seeking medical care for Rookie for some time without getting any concrete answers for what appeared to be “signs of heart failure that were being missed.” “Always trust your mom gut,” she added.

Fry’s face is still swollen and there are stitches in his nose. He will have a follow-up appointment on Thursday, but is not expected to need surgery

“The ball started cutting in on me and got me pretty good at a moment where it’s just so fast that there’s no way to get out of the way,” Fry said.

Alcaraz advances to Japan Open semifinal

Carlos Alcaraz comfortably defeated Brandon Nakashima 6-2, 6-4 to reach the semifinals of the Japan Open with his 65th match win of the season to equal his personal-best tally in a single season, according to the ATP Tour

“It’s great to go through, to play another semifinal,” the 22-year-old Alcaraz said. “It’s special because it’s the first time I am playing here in Japan and here in Tokyo, so to reach the semifinals in my first appearance is something great.” Now 50-3 since April, Alcaraz will

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

NFL ROUNDUP

Hurts throws 2 TDs in Eagles win over Bucs

By The Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla.

— The Philadelphia Eagles used a fake tush push, another special teams touchdown and a late defensive stop to stay undefeated.

Jalen Hurts tossed two touchdown passes, Sydney Brown returned a blocked punt for a score and the Eagles beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-25 on Sunday for their 20th victory in 21 games.

The only loss in that span for the reigning Super Bowl champions was against Washington last December in a game Hurts left with a concussion in the first half.

Chase McLaughlin’s 65-yard field goal for Tampa Bay on the final play of the first half was the longest in NFL history in an outdoor stadium.

Playing with an injured biceps that limited in him in practice this week, Baker Mayfield had TD passes of 77 yards and 72 yards but threw an interception on first down from the Eagles 11 with his team down 31-23 midway through the fourth quarter

The Bucs had another chance with the ball at Philadelphia’s 40 and just under two minutes left But Mayfield was sacked by Moro Ojomo and a fourth-and-9 pass went for only 2 yards

Eagles punter Braden Mann ran out of the bounds for a safety to end the game.

STEELERS 24, VIKINGS 21: In Dublin, Kenneth Gainwell ran for 99 yards and two touchdowns and Pittsburgh held on to beat Minnesota in Ireland’s first regular-season NFL game.

DK Metcalf had five catches for 126 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown for the Steelers, who improved to 3-1 going into their bye week.

The Steelers victory gave quarterback Aaron Rodgers his first international win and capped a Rooney family homecoming in front of a decidedly pro-Steelers crowd of 74,512 at Croke Park. Rodgers was 18 for 22 for 200 yards and the touchdown to Metcalf.

TEXANS 26, TITANS 0: In Houston,

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half of a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday in Tampa, Fla.

rookie Woody Marks had a touchdown reception and ran for another score as Houston beat Tennessee for its first win this season.

It’s the third time the Texans have shut out a team and the first time since blanking the Titans 29-0 on Nov 28, 2010 The Titans were shut out for the first time since a 16-0 loss at Denver on Oct. 13, 2019.

C.J. Stroud threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns as the Texans scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter Sunday to put the game away and match their TD total in the previous three games

combined

FALCONS 34, COMMANDERS 27: In Atlanta, Michael Penix Jr bounced back from his worst NFL start, Bijan Robinson had a career-high 181 yards from scrimmage as Atlanta beat short-handed Washington.

The Falcons (2-2) were coming off a 30-0 loss to the Panthers in which Penix and the offense were totally ineffective. Against the Commanders (2-2), Penix completed 20 of 26 passes for a career-high

313 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Robinson had 75 rushing yards on 17 carries, including a nifty 14-yard touchdown run where he broke multiple tackles. He also had four catches for 106 yards, the highlight being a 69-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter that set up Penix’s TD toss to Kyle Pitts.

PATRIOTS 42, PANTHERS 13:In Foxborough, Massachusetts, Marcus Jones had an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown, Drake Maye added two touchdown passes and ran for another, and New England rolled to a win over Carolina.

TreVeyon Henderson and Antonio Gibson added touchdown runs and Jones had a 61-yard punt return that set up another TD to help the Patriots (2-2) avoid their fifth straight 1-3 start. A week after turning the ball over five times in a loss to Pittsburgh, the Patriots were turnover-free while going 4 for 4 in the red zone.

LIONS 34, BROWNS 10: In Detroit, Jared Goff threw two touchdown passes to Amon-Ra St. Brown, Ka-

reacts

an injury during the second quarter of a game against

Sunday in East Rutherford N.J

Giants’ WR Nabers carted off against Chargers with knee injury

BY DENNIS WASZAK JR AP pro football Writer

EAST RUTHERFORD,N.J Jaxson Dart and the New York Giants could be without Malik Nabers for a while — and perhaps the rest of the season. The star wide receiver was carted from the field with an injured right knee in the second quarter of the Giants’ 21-18 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday

“Don’t have much on the injury front,” coach Brian Daboll said after the game. “I haven’t talked to the trainers yet.” The fear is it could be a serious injury to Nabers’ ACL, which would be a significant blow to the Giants’ offense.

“Obviously, prayers to him,” Dart said. “I don’t think we know exactly what happened, so he’s going to be one of my first phone calls to check on him. Malik’s one of one. So when you have a guy like

that on the field, you have all the confidence in the world that he can just be a dominant game-changer.” Dart, making his first NFL start, launched a deep pass down the right sideline — a free play after the Chargers’ Troy Dye jumped offside toward a streaking Nabers. The wide receiver’s right leg appeared to buckle as he went up to try to catch the pass, which fell incomplete.

Fomer LSU standout Nabers, went down at the Chargers 7 with 6:12 left before halftime, immediately grabbed at his right leg and was clearly in pain. Trainers rushed out to attend to Nabers, who was on the receiving end of Dart’s first NFL completion earlier in the game. Several of Nabers’ teammates, including benched quarterback Russell Wilson, surrounded him before he was lifted onto the cart. Nabers had his hands over his head as the cart sped away, but

he then raised his right arm to acknowledge the Giants fans cheering for him.

The team ruled Nabers out for the rest of the game in the third quarter, and the Giants were awaiting the results of tests.

“Obviously it hurts, because the worst part of this game is injuries,” Dart said. “You hate to see your teammate, your brother, go down and look in pain like that. But I’m just going to be praying for him and I got his back through it all.”

Dart also dealt with a few injury issues in his starting debut, but said he was “good” after the win.

The quarterback was listed with a hamstring injury coming out of halftime, but continued to play

On New York’s opening drive of the third quarter, he took a big hit after a 39-yard run — that was negated by a holding penalty — and was checked for a concussion. He missed two plays, but was cleared and returned to the game.

in the third quarter

The Colts also had a 53-yard rushing TD by Jonathan Taylor taken off the board by a holding call on Mitchell with 2:15 to play

JAGUARS 26 49ERS 21: In Santa Clara, California, Parker Washington had Jacksonville’s first punt return touchdown in eight seasons and the Jaguars opportunistic defense delivered four more takeaways in a victory over San Francisco.

Former Niners star Arik Armstead’s strip-sack of Brock Purdy with less than three minutes to play sealed the win for the Jaguars (3-1).

The Jaguars have generated at least three takeaways in all four games this season, and have four more takeaways than they had in the entire 2024 season. They turned those into 17 points against the 49ers (3-1) highlighted by Travis Etienne’s 48-yard run one play after Dennis Gardeck forced a fumble by Luke Farrell in the second quarter

lif Raymond returned a punt 65 yards for another score and Detroit beat Cleveland.

The Lions (3-1) intercepted Joe Flacco twice in the first half and scored 20 straight points for a 13-point lead at halftime. Detroit forced Flacco to fumble in the fourth, setting up another touchdown.

The Browns (1-3) opened with an 88-yard, 13-play touchdown drive then had 44 yards with three punts and two turnovers the rest of the half. They finished with 249 yards of offense, gaining an average of 3.8 yards per play

RAMS 27, COLTS 20: In Inglewood, California, Tutu Atwell caught an 88-yard touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford with 1:33 to play, and Los Angeles rallied to end Indianapolis’ unbeaten start to the season with a victory

Daniel Jones passed for 262 yards for the Colts (3-1), but Indy couldn’t overcome receiver Adonai Mitchell’s mind-boggling fumble right before he crossed the goal line with what was about to be a 76-yard touchdown reception

CHIEFS 37,RAVENS 20: In Kansas City Missouri, Patrick Mahomes threw for 270 yards and four touchdowns while outdueling Lamar Jackson, who left in the second half with a right hamstring injury, and Kansas City routed beat-up Baltimore. Xavier Worthy returned from a shoulder injury to catch five passes for 83 yards, igniting a Chiefs offense that had been struggling to find its footing without the speedster and his suspended teammate, Rashee Rice, early in the season. BEARS 25, RAIDERS 24: In Las Vegas, Josh Blackwell blocked a 54-yearold field-goal attempt by Daniel Carlson in the final minute to preserve a fourth-quarter rally led by Caleb Williams, and Chicago stunned Las Vegas.

After D’Andre Swift’s 2-yard touchdown run with 1:34 left put the Bears (2-2) in front, Geno Smith led the Raiders (1-3) into position for Carlson’s kick with 38 seconds left. Blackwell came in nearly untouched from the left side, dived and deflected the ball. He raced down the field in celebration as teammates chased him.

Higgins, Engram look to turn their seasons around

BY ARNIE STAPLETON AP pro football Writer

DENVER Both the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos are trying to tap into a key offensive power source when they square off Monday night in the Mile

High City

Wide receiver Tee Higgins is off to a slow start after signing a four-year, $115 million contract extension with the Bengals (2-1) last spring with just seven catches for 104 yards in three games.

“I know it’s going to come my way,” Higgins said. “I’ve always been like that. When the ball comes my way, I’ve just got to make a play on it. I’ve got to take advantage of every opportunity I get.”

That’s exactly how tight end Evan Engram feels.

Engram was one of Denver’s big free agent signings last offseason and was billed as the coveted “ joker ” in coach Sean Payton’s offense, the versatile playmaker who can exploit matchups in the middle of the field.

Yet, Engram had three catches on four targets in the opener and just two targets and one catch in and Week 2, tallying a total of just 33 yards with no touchdowns. He missed last week’s loss to the Chargers with a bad back.

Engram was a full participant in practice all week and Payton indicated there wasn’t any lingering health issues for Engram: “He’s doing well. He’s full. He’s playing.”

Engram could be key to the Broncos (1-2) ending a two-game skid in which they’ve lost on walkoff field goals after never trailing in the fourth quarter

“Listen, I think there are certainly matchups third down, red zone come to mind — but with him on the field, we’re a better offense,” Payton said. As are the Bengals when Higgins is more involved.

So far, Higgins has been targeted 14 times compared to Ja’Marr Chase’s 27.

Last week, Higgins caught just one of two passes thrown his way for 15 yards in a 48-10 drubbing

ä Bengals at Broncos. 7:15 MONDAY,ABC

at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings in their first game since franchise quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a toe injury that required surgery

“That’s the thing about our guys, there’s not an ego involved in any of this,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said.

“There’s been games before where some of our main guys have caught a ball or have been targeted once. They know the next game might be 12 targets and 10 catches.”

A trip to Denver might just be the elixir for Higgins, who caught 11 passes for 131 yards and three TDs in the Bengals’ 30-24 overtime win over the Broncos in Cincinnati last December

Of course, that was cornerback Riley Moss’s first game back from a knee injury He’s healthy now and playing pretty well opposite reigning AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Patrick Surtain II, who will spent plenty of time covering Chase on Monday night.

“When you look at that game on the road, obviously there were some completions, but we competed and played those guys,” Payton said. “We didn’t score enough. He’s doing well. He’s had a great week.”

A dearth of targets for Higgins is one of just many concerns in Cincy’s offense. Jake Browning has already thrown five interceptions in the seven quarters he has played and the Bengals are averaging only 2.4 yards per carry Lead back Chase Brown is getting hit behind the line of scrimmage on nearly 80% of his carries and is averaging just 2 yards per rush so far The Broncos have their own offensive issues. Second-year quarterback Bo Nix is off to a slow start and his footwork and mechanics haven’t been consistently clean. Last week he overthrew wide-open receivers on deep routes three times in Denver’s 23-20 loss to the Chargers.

BILLS31, SAINTS 19

BY THENUMBERS

Sanker showsplaymakingability

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

ORCHARD PARK,NY— BuffaloBills

Josh Allen pass.

AL STATISTICS

RUSHING—New Orleans, Kamara15-70, Miller 11-65, Rattler6-49, Shaheed 2-5. Buffalo, Cook 22-117, Allen 7-45, R.Davis 1-3, Ty.Johnson 1-0, Moore 1-0. PASSING—New Orleans, Rattler 18-27-0-126, Olave 0-1-1-0. Buffalo, Allen 16-22-1-209.

RECEIVING—New Orleans, Shaheed 4-47, Kamara4-2,Johnson3-28, Cooks 3-22, Olave 3-20, Stoll 1-7. Buffalo, Shakir 5-69, Coleman 3-45, Cook3-18, Palmer 2-25,Kincaid 1-28, Hawes1-15, Samuel 1-9.

PUNT RETURNS—New Orleans, Shaheed 1-10. Buffalo, Shakir1-6.

KICKOFF RETURNS—New Orleans, Jones 5-134. Buffalo, Samuel 3-82, Ty.Johnson 1-13.

TACKLES-ASSISTS-SACKS—New Orleans, McKinstry 7-0-0, Davis 5-2-0, Granderson

5-0-1, Sanker 4-1-0, Jordan 4-0-1,Riley 4-0-0, Taylor 3-1-0, Werner 3-0-0, Bresee 2-1-1, Shepherd1-2-0, Yiadom 1-2-0, Reid 1-0-0, Boyd 0-1-0, Godchaux 0-1-0. Buffalo, White

7-0-0, Bernard4-2-0,Bishop 4-1-0,Benford

4-0-0, Ta.Johnson 4-0-0,Williams 3-3-0, Strong 3-0-0,Rapp 2-1-0, Rousseau 2-1-0, Walker 2-1-0,Epenesa 2-0-1, Thompson

2-0-0, Bosa 1-2-1, D.Jones 1-2-1, Phillips 1-10, Andreessen1-0-0, Lewis 1-0-0, Sanders

0-1-0. INTERCEPTIONS—New Orleans, Sanker 1-0. Buffalo, Bishop 1-4. MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.

OFFICIALS—Referee Land Clark, Ump Mark Pellis, HL TomStephan, LJ Jeff Hutcheon

FJ Jabir Walker,SJDominique Pender, BJ Courtney Brown, ReplayGerald Frye

SAINTS

was still significant in the big picture. Thiswas aSaintsteamthat, just aweek ago, looked unprepared, undisciplined and unfocused inSeattle.ToMoore, it was important to see players stick together in atime of challenging circumstances. But the response was also important for Moore: This week represented the clearest test yet of his coaching tenure. He tookthe blamefor what happened against the Seahawks, and even though first-year coaches are generally awardedpatience, it was important to establish thatMoore could be an effective leader and rally his team.

The Saints’ preparation —and effort—saidalotaboutthewayMoore goes about the job. The 37-year-oldis the first to admit he’s nota screamer —but there are other waystoget the most out of ateam.

To start the week, Moore gathered the team’sleadership council —a committee comprising of 12 or so players that thecoach meets with when needed. And the Seahawks’ drubbing warranted ameeting. Tackle Taliese Fuaga, one of the leaders in the group,saidMoore

receiver Khalil Shakir hauled in a screen pass, spun out of atackle attemptfrom New OrleansSaints linebacker Demario Davis,and only had one mantobeat to theend zone.

Saintsrookie safety JonasSanker did not anticipatethe angle at which Shakir would spin out of Davis’ tackle attempt, and Sanker did not make the play. Shakirran through Sanker’sarms andoutraced the Saints defense to the endzonefor a43-yard touchdown on theBills’ opening drive.

It was atough start to the day for New Orleans, but things got better— and therest of the game may have suggested the Saints have found animpact player in Sanker.

The Saints selected Sanker with thesecondoftwo third-round picks in this year’s NFL draft. He was not supposedtoplaythis big of arole this early,but aseasonendinginjuryto Julian Blackmon forced him into the starting lineup. Sunday was Sanker’sthird start, and probably his best: He recorded five tackles, broke up three passes and becamethe first player this season to intercepta

sought feedback and fosters a player-led culture, one that demands accountability.That’swhy, in one of the practices this week, it was Fuaga who got animated after afalse start penalty.

“Atfirst,itwas like, ‘Eh,it’sall right,’ but then Iyelled,” Fuaga said.

“I’m not the biggest yeller,but if I have to be, Ihave to be.”

Afteraveraging10.3penalties pergame through thefirst three outings, theSaints committed only four penalties against theBills. In some ways, they were still costly Aroughing-the-kicker penalty in thefourth quarter,for instance, sealed Buffalo’swin. But the Saints showed noticeable improvement when it mattered, and only one of thefourflagswas on the offense.

How theSaints attacked the Bills also said somethingabout Moore. Despitebeing ashotgun-heavy pass team to start theseason,the coach pivoted. He rightfully recognized that the Bills had one of the league’sworstrushingdefenses and that his offense could benefit fromabetter run game. Andso, the Saints adjustedbyrelying on under-center formations and looks from thepistol. Thechange worked —and it was amainreason the Saints were even in Sunday’sgame at all.

Theinterception came at abig time, with the Saints trailing 14-7 and Buffalo backed up deep in its own territory.Allentried heaving apass deep downfield to Keon Coleman —and likely would’ve connected had it not been for Sanker, who closed agap in aremarkably short amount of timetobeat Coleman to theball.

“It was awesome,” Saintscoach KellenMoore said. “Jonas is aplayer that we thinkveryhighly of. He played in some really contested situations, battled,playing against someofthe (NFL’s)premier players.”

Ruiz injured

Just when the Saints finally got their regular startingfive on the field at offensive line, another one went down withaninjury before the team even gottothe halftime break.

Right guard Cesar Ruiz was blocking downfield lateinthe second quarterwhenquarterback Spencer Rattler rolled into the back of his legs after getting tackled on ascramble. Ruiz collapsed to the turf at HighmarkStadium,and theSaints medical staff quickly went out to the field to check on him Ruiz gingerly walked off the field and eventually took the in-

New Orleans rushedfor aseason-high 189 yards on 34 carries. Theduo of Alvin Kamaraand Kendre Miller took advantage of theclearedlanes ahead of them, with the latter rushing for an 18yard touchdown on New Orleans’ opening drive. It also helped that for thefirst time this season,the Saints hadtheir normal offensive line, as guardTrevor Penning returned from a month-long absence due to atoe injury. The game plan prevented the game from becoming a trackmeet, especially when the Bills scored twotouchdowns— first a43yard,catch-and-run from Khalil Shakir andthena 1-yard rush from James Cook —with relativeease. But to upsetanelite team like Buffalo, theSaints couldn’tafford to leavethe door open. Andtoo often,they did just that. Take alook at how theSaints defendedAllen. For the first time this season, the Saintspicked off the quarterback when rookie Jonas

jury cart to thelocker room at the halftime break. Officially,hewas declared questionabletoreturn, butRuiznever returned to the contest. After the game, he greeted his teammates at theentrancetothe locker room with aprotective boot on his foot.

Moore did nothaveanupdate on Ruiz’s injury after the game.

Undrafted rookie Torricelli Simpkins took Ruiz’sspot in the lineup at right guard. Lastweek,Simpkins started forthe Saints at left guard in place of the injured Trevor Penning,who made his season debut Sunday in Buffalo.

Switching from left to right is nota big deal forSimpkins, who was used to doing his pass sets to either side alreadyafter playing center in college. But the first few weeks have taught him avaluable lesson.

“My roleistobeready when somebody goes down,” Simpkins said. “When my number is called, Ihave to be ready, and these last two weeks have shownthat you have to be prepared to go in.”

Milestones

With asack of Allen in the second quarter,Saints defensive end Cam Jordan addeda couple of new milestones to his career highlight list.

Sanker came flyingfor the interception. ButNew Orleans punted on thefollowing possession, and Allen would not make the same mistakeagain. Late, when the Saints needed astop, Allenstuck thedagger with apivotal two-play sequence: He rushed for27yards, making several defenders miss, and then threw a 28-yard touchdown to tight end Dalton Kincaid.

ERIK McCOY, Saints center

The Saints, by contrast, missed their chances to swing the game. With 8:56 left, Rattler’sgo-ahead touchdowntowide receiver Brandin Cooks was reversed whenofficials determined the pass hit the ground before the catch. And the Saints squandered atwo-possession stretch near theend of thefirst half and into thethird quarter At the 5-yard line before the half, theSaints attempted to execute the Philly Special, atrick play that involves awide receiver throwing to the quarterback on areverse. But Buffalo read the route perfectly andsafetyColeBishopintercepted

The sack wasthe 124th of Jordan’scareer,moving him into sole possession of 20th place on the NFL’s all-timerecord books. Allen, who was namedthe Most Valuable Player in theNFL last year,also became aunique trivia answer: He was the 50th NFL quarterback Jordan has sacked in his career AndJordanwas joinedbya teammate in afairly exclusive club Sunday,with Davis becoming the ninth active NFLplayer to start his 200th game. Of the active players with 200 career starts, Davis and Jordan are the only teammates. Davis became the110th NFL player ever to hit that number Odds andends Safety Justin Reid and defensive back Alontae Taylor (shoulder) were both checkedout in thebluemedical tent on the Saints sideline Sunday,but both returned to finish the game …Wide receiver Devaughn Vele (hip) was active forSunday’s game butdid notplaymuch. Moore said someofthat had to do with the Saints’ tempo offense approach …Rookie corner Quincy Riley entered thegame in thefirst half andappeared to play themajorityofthe defensivesnaps.Moore said that was by design and not as aresponse to anybody’splay

wide receiver Chris Olave. Then to start the third, the Saints went three-and-out. Twochances to take the lead, zero points. The trick play,inparticular,may open Moore up to criticism. Why even botherwith the call in that spot? When asked, the coach said the Bills gave the “right look” and he felt good about the play Nitpicking individual play calls, however,matters little in the largercontext. The Saints’ season will largely be judgedonwhether Mooreisthe right coach forthe team in thelongterm. And on a day when his team was 141/2-point underdogs, Moore managed to ease whatever concerns emerged from the weekprior

“He’s big on theneutral mindset, trying to take the emotion out of things andjust state the facts, centerErik McCoysaid. “And the facts were that last weekwedidn’t play wellenough to even makeita remotely close game, and that we need to improve.” And Moore’smindset after Sunday’sloss?

“The resultsaren’tthere right now,but keep trusting the process and they will come,” McCoy said. Email Matthew Parasatmatt. paras@theadvocate.com

THAT’S MUCH BETTER

1

Aloss is aloss,but in the hyper-competitive NFL, that’sasclose to amoral victory as you’re going to see.After an embarrassingeffortinSeattle last week, the Saints ranthe ball extremely well and put ascare intothe Super Bowl favorites. Fora moment, it evenlooked likethe Saintshad takenafourthquarter lead on aSpencerRattler to Brandin Cooks touchdown pass, but the play was overturned,and Josh Allen took overfrom there. Still, it’s clear this Saintsteam is still fighting for KellenMoore and that betterdaysmay be ahead.

BILLS31, SAINTS 19

RATTLING ON

2

Second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler is now0-10 as astarter in the NFL. He threwfor only125 yards Sunday, but he also ran fora career-high 49 yards and kept the NewOrleans offense in the game against adifficult opponent.As the losses mount, do the Saints stick with Rattler for their two-game homestand against the Giants and Patriots, or do they turntorookie Tyler Shough? My vote is to stick with Rattler,atleast fornow.He’seliminatedmanyofthe mistakes in hisgame,and he deservesmore chances to getthat elusivevictory

DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT

3

Containing Allen and the Bills is nevereasy,and the first twoBuffalo drives confirmed that.Both were easy touchdowns.Afterward,however, the Saints’ defense showeda lot of growth, sacking Allen three times and forcing theBills’ firstturnoverofthe year That was an interception fromrookie safety Jonas Sanker, whoisturninginto akey playeralready.Therewere mistakes —missed tackles, abrutal dropped interception from Pete Werner and along Allen scramble in the fourth quarter— but again, this is thetype of fight youwant to see fromBrandon Staley’sdefense

MISSEDOPPORTUNITY

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

Kellen Moore addressed agroup of reporters, theBuffalo Bills were celebrating their fourth consecutive win to start the 2025 regular season, whilethe New Orleans Saints rookie head coach spent another Sunday searching for the right words.

The Saints have been right therein three of their four losses, and yet they have not found away to get the job done. Or,asMooreput it, “the ultimate goal has yet to be achieved.

The reasons have been varied. There have been penalties. There has been poor execution in critical situations. And, of course,there was that blowout loss in Seattle that happened last week, where everything went wrong. Sunday against Buffalo, it was missed opportunities. Believe it or not, aSaintsteamthatmanyhad pegged as oneofthe worst in theNFL coming into the season was hanging tough on the road against aBuffalo team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. They were soclose,afact thatmatters littleinthe NFL, where themargins are often paper-thin. Moore effectively capturedthe separator between the haves and the have-nots that was on display Sunday in Highmark Stadium: “Wedidn’tmake enough plays when it mattered most, and theymade some plays,” Moore said.

Moore had his own hand in that.

The Saints will have plenty of moments to choose from in Sunday’sloss that could have changed their fortunes

Thejust off-target pass to Brandin Cooks in the end zone thatfellincomplete; letting Josh Allen get loose for a27-yard scamper to effectively put the game away late on third down; watching adefensive stopturn to dust becauseofa penalty —this week being aroughing-the-kicker penalty after forcing apunt. But the most egregious missed opportunity the Saints had came in the second quarterwhen the plucky Saints found themselves with achance to take the lead just before halftime. It wasan especially prime opportunity because New Orleans wasset toreceivethe opening kickofthe second half.And it’sespecially memorable because of howthe Saints let it slip out of their hands.

New Orleans seized somemomentum when it sacked Bills MVP quarterback Josh Allenontwo consecutive plays, pushing theBills’ punting unit back to itsown 7-yardline. TheSaintsbegan their ensuing drive already inside Buffaloterritory with achancetoerase a 14-10 deficit.

But after acouple of big Rattler runs pushed theSaintsinside theBuffalo 5, theSaints made the curious decision to take the ball out of his hands. On third-and-goal, New Orleans called its version of thefamed “Philly Special” play the Eagles used to win a SuperBowl. The Saints versionfeatured areverse to Chris Olave, who would then throw the ball to Rattler in the end zone. They got the look they wanted from Buffalo, Mooresaid. They had practiced the play for weeks and came away pleased with theoperation. Even

after the game, some had no issue with idea behind the play in that moment “I love the play call,” center Erik McCoy said. “I do. It’sfrustrating.”

Frustrating because theplay did not work out as intended. Olave, who had never thrown apassina gamesetting —neither as apro nor as acollegian at Ohio State —got rid of the ball as soon as he sawaninklingofpressure, floating it towarda well-covered Rattler near thegoal line.

Bills safety Cole Bishoppicked off the pass and ended the scoring threat

The deficit remained at four “It was what it was,” Rattler said. “It was atough play.Chris isn’taquarterback,and Idon’t putthe blame on him.”

Later,Rattler added: “I trustKellen to call the right play. We hadthe right look, and the play looked great the last twoweeks we reppedit. Iwas ready to catch it in the end zone. Itrust what

Kellen’scalling.”

Facing asimilar situation later in the game, the Saints reversed the roles and Rattler fired a3-yard touchdown to Olave.

The game did not comedown to a single playordecision, but aseriesof them that moreoften tilted in the Bills’ favor —which could also be said about the losses to the Cardinals and 49ers earlier this season.

The Saints areclose. Nowthey’ve gottofigureout how to turn closeinto something that matters.

“We’re in it. It’svery frustrating for allofour guys to feel like you’re that close,” Mooresaid. “You’vegot to feel the taste of it,feel the taste of executing in those critical situations and… find waystowin one of these.”

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

Bryan Breseeblocked afield goal to preserve avictoryagainst theNew York Giants. The Saints, 0-4 this season, have now losteightgames in arow.The only team with alonger losing streak is the Tennessee Titans, who lost their 10th straight game Sunday. The Saints’ 0-4 start shouldn’treally come as asurprise

Once they couldn’tclose the deal on their first two gamesinthe Superdome against the ArizonaCardinals and the San Francisco 49ers,in fact, an 0-4 start seemed inevitable. When the NFL released theschedule in May,most of us marked these back-to-back trips to the West Coast and then theEast Coast as losses Now things getabit more urgent. The Saints return home Sunday to host the Giantsand theNew England Patriots. The playingfield should be more eveninthat one. That wasn’tthe case Sunday.The Bills (4-0) are one of the eliteteams in the NFL. They will be one of thelast teams standing in the AFC comeplayoff time in January.They looked the part Sunday,scoring on their first two drives and looking like they were well on their way to covering the 161/2-point spread the Vegas oddsmakers set initially

TheSaints, like they have done in three of their first fourgames, hung around andmadeitrespectable. A14-10 halftime deficit almost felt likeawin.The biggest missed opportunity came at theend of the first half,whenthe Saintstried a trick play that saw receiver Chris Olaveattempt apass to quarterback Spencer Rattler.The pass was picked off,robbing the Saints of taking some momentum going into the half. “I love the play call,” center Erik McCoysaid.“Ido. It’s frustrating.

Guy made agreat play.But it would have been nice to come out with seven (points) right there.” Hindsight is 20/20. If the play worked and the Saints had won, it would have been thebiggest play call in Moore’syoung head coaching career.But it didn’tand instead became thelatest missed opportunity for the Saints. Truthbetold, it probably wouldn’t have mattered Buffalo rarely loses in its own stadium.The Bills’quarterback, last year’s MVPJosh Allen,doesn’tlet them.

Sunday wasBuffalo’s14th straight winatHighmark Stadium

The Saints, meanwhile, are still looking to get winNo. 1for Moore and Rattler,who’snow 0-10 as astarter There weresome signs of improvementonSunday.The Saints, who came into the gametied forthe league lead in penalties, committed just four Kicker Blake Grupe madeboth his field goals, including aseason-best 54-yarder.The Saints ran the ball better than they have all season.

It wasn’tenough.

“Either way it goes, I’mnot in a great mood,” McCoy said. “A blowout loss or aregular loss, it still counts as aloss in the loss column.” Still, Alvin Kamarasays the Saints are “trending up.”

We’ll findout if that’strue next week when the Giants come to New Orleans. The Saints desperately need to winthat one forfans to start believing again.

Sunday felt like astep in the right direction, despite what the scoreboard said.

“While there are positives in this, the ultimate goal has yet to be achieved in games,” Moore said. “So we are striving forthat and we need to get there.” Indeed, they do. And it needs to start next weekin the Dome.

Email RodWalkerat rwalker@theadvocate.com.

LSU

Garrett Nussmeier looksdownfieldfrom the pocket in the first quarter of agameagainst Ole Miss on SaturdayatVaught-Hemingway StadiuminOxford, Miss.

Tigeroffense’s issues at forefrontduringbye week

BYREED DARCEY Staff writer

Garrett Nussmeier didn’tsee his left tackle get beat. But he certainly felt it, once he was drilled, then sandwiched between an Ole Miss rusher and his own right tackle.

The quarterback that emerged from that hit —which foiled the first drive of LSU’s24-19lossto the No. 4Rebels on Saturday didn’tlook like the one who dealt the No. 13 Tigers asharp winover Southeastern Louisianathe week prior.Some of his passes fluttered. Others sailed. Toomanyfloated into double or triple coverage down the field, away from open receivers underneath.

One of those passes turned into an interception,Nussmeier’sthird of the season.

“I’m going to bang my head on the wall about it for awhile,”he said.

Once again, Nussmeier’shealth is aquestion for LSU. But it’sfar from the only one —the Tigers now have anumber of offensive problems to address in the open date betweentheir loss to Ole Miss and their Oct. 11 home game against South Carolina.The win over Florida exposed those concerns, and the loss to the Rebels strengthened them.

Just how many of LSU’sissues are fixable? And is Nussmeier’s torso injury one of them?

“Look, all Ican tell youishe’s healthy,” coach Brian Kelly said on Saturday.“Andagain,I think he would tell you —just like Tyree Adams would tell you, just like Chris Hilton would tell you, Bauer

Sharp would tell you —weneed to play betterand moreconsistent on the offensive side of the ball.”

Last season, LSU fielded the SEC’sseventh-best scoring offense. The Tigers could’ve been more productive on that side of the ball, except they never found a way to unlock adependable rushing attack, they didn’tturn enough red-zone tripsintotouchdowns, and Nussmeier threw too many interceptions —12, to be exact.Only three FBSpassers tossed more.

But LSU could at least lean on an efficient passing attack last year.Its offenseconverted third downs at the sixth-highest rate in the country,and by the end of the season,Nussmeier had completed 58 passes of more than 20 yards. That total was the10th highest in the nation.

Thedifference now? The Tigers have many of thesameoffensive problems they had in 2024, and Nussmeier isn’tthrowing well enough tomask them.

The second-year starterisboth attempting and completing fewer passes of at least 20 yards thanhe did last season, according to Pro FootballFocus, even though the rate at which he’sfaced pressure on his dropbacks has dipped from 28% to21%. Through five games, Nussmeier has thrown more passes behind thelineofscrimmage (40) than he has between 10 and 19 yards downfield (35).

TheLSU offense has shrunk, which has hurt its abilitytosustain drives.Ingames against Clemson, Florida and Ole Miss, theTigers pickeduponly 10 of the 36 third downs (28%) they faced.

“We’ve been areally good third-

down team,” Kelly said. “Wehave to be better on thirddown. And that’snot just Garrett. We’ve got to getopen. Our coaches (have) got to get our guys in aposition where they can make some plays.”

There’sanurgencytoimprove.

LSU hassix SECopponents left on itsschedule, andfour of those foes are ranked. Three of the four —No. 5Oklahoma, No. 6Texas A&Mand No.10Alabama —slotted in ahead of the Tigers in the latestAPPoll.

The Crimson Tide has one of the nation’s30best scoring defenses, andthe Sooners have one of its five best scoring defenses. LSU hastoplay both of those teams on the road,and it can’tafford to drop both games. Athird loss would likely bump theTigers off the College Football Playoff bubble.

So it’simportant that LSU uses the first of its two byeweeks to find answersonoffense.

Will thetime off help theTigers or hurt them?

“I think it can go either way,” Nussmeier said. “I think you’ll tell the makeup of our team from it. I think if we choosetogodown and feel sorry for ourselves, we won’t finishwherewewant to.

“I think that if we do what Ibelieve we will do andworkharder at it andcome at this bye week with an opportunity to trytofix what we’re struggling (with), I think it’ll help us.”

Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

Newteamtakes topspotinpoll

OXFORD,Miss. Once again, chaos has reigned supremeinthe world of college football. Alabamaupset Georgia on the road. Oregon proved that it was anational title contender after beating Penn State in Happy Valley.LSU took astep backward at Ole Miss. Let’stouch on all of that and morethrough the lens of my latest AP poll.

Breaking down LSU, OleMiss andNotre Dame

My AP poll afterWeek5 1. Oregon, 2. Miami, 3. Ohio State, 4. PennState, 5. Texas A&M,6.Oklahoma, 7. Texas, 8. Texas Tech, 9. Georgia, 10. Alabama, 11. Notre Dame,12. Ole Miss, 13. Indiana, 14. Tennessee, 15. Michigan, 16. LSU, 17. Missouri, 18. Mississippi State, 19. Vanderbilt, 20. Illinois, 21. Arizona State, 22. Florida State, 23. TCU, 24. Iowa State, 25. Southern Cal Just missed: Auburn, Georgia Tech, Washington, Nebraska Anew No.1

Oregon needed double overtime to beat Penn State, but the Ducks proved they werethe better team on Saturday night. Quarterback Dante Moore outplayed veteran Penn State signal-caller Drew Allar,Oregon accumulated 148 moreyards of offense and the Ducks decisively wonthe timeofpossession battle.

Andthey did it all while taking down my No. 1team heading into the week in arguably the mosthostile environment in the country Did Oregon prove it’sbyfar thebestteam in college football this week? No, but no team deserved the spot moreafter this week than the Ducks.

As for Penn State, the NittanyLions dropped to No.4in part because of theirstruggling passing attack.Combine that with Miamiand Ohio State holding better resumes thus far, and that’swhy Penn State slid behind those teams.

Georgiaahead of Alabama?

Ihad trouble figuring out what to do with Alabamaand Georgia. On the one hand, Alabama outplayed the Bulldogs, and Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson was excellent despite receiving minimal help from his runninggame.

Butonthe other hand, Alabamaalso lost to Florida State, and the Seminoles didn’tdothe Tide anyfavors this week when they lost to Virginia. Georgia, meanwhile, still holds astrong road winover Tennessee despite losing to Alabama. The lowsAlabamadisplayed against Florida State werejust enough formetokeep them behind Georgiainmypoll, despite this week’sresult.

LSU’s struggles on offense, combined with its twobest wins aging like spoiled milk, meant that the Tigers weregoing to take ahit in my poll when they lost and struggled as they did against Ole Miss on the road. Meanwhile, the Rebels shot up in my rankings, but Icouldn’t place them over Notre Dame after the Fighting Irish clobbered Arkansas on the road this weekend. When Ole Miss faced the Razorbacks at homeafew weeks back, they only wonby six and were outgained and outpossessed by Arkansas. Notre Dame may have two losses, but they wereagainst twotop-5 teams in my poll by a combined four points. Even if Istill have questions about the defense, it’shard to look at the Irish and not see that they’re a top-15 caliber team.

Othernotes

The final score was very deceiving in Texas A&M’swin over Auburn. Despite winning by just six, the Aggies held Auburn to zero third-downconversions, racked up 237 moretotal yards and had the ball forover eight moreminutes. It wasadominant showing, which, combined with the Notre Dame road win, suggests that the Aggies are probably the best team in the SEC at the moment. Mississippi State shot up my ballot after taking Tennessee to overtime this week. Couple that result with the Bulldogs’ win over Arizona State, and it’sclear to me that they’re one of the 25 best teamsinthe nation. Ihave questions surrounding Tennessee’sdefense even as its offense continues to soar Georgia losing this weekdidn’t do it any favors, but through five weeks, it’sdifficult to argue that the Volunteers have looked worse than Michigan or LSU. Filling out the last fewspots in my poll this week was amajor challenge. Florida State’sloss to Virginia was very ugly,but Alabama beating Georgia this weekstill gave the Seminoles’ resume enough of aboost to keep them ranked. TCU’sloss to ASU didn’tdissuade me frommystance that the Horned Frogs have an interesting team. They outplayed ASU for most of the night, and that game was on the road. Besides Mississippi State’s performance and Illinois earning abig winover USC, Ihad trouble finding unranked teams that were worthy of sliding into the top 25. Washington didn’t do enough against Ohio State to earn aspot. Louisville and BYU struggled against weakcompetition. Kansas suffered acostly loss to Cincinnati, and Nebraska didn’tplay this week.

Email Koki RileyatKoki Riley@theadvocate.com.

Sumrallseeks bigimprovement aftersloppywin

BY GUERRYSMITH

Contributing writer

Happy with any road win, Tulane football coach Jon Sumrall nevertheless made it clear Saturday the trip home to New Orleans would be uncomfortable foranyone near him

The Green Wave’sAmerican Conference-opening31-14 win at Tulsa was too sloppy for his taste —particularly the festival of flags his team incurred during the fourth quarter when the game was in hand. Tulane was penalized awhopping eight times in less than 11 minutes, starting with kick catch interference on Armani Cargo and ending with pass interference on linebacker Chris Rodgers. TheWave hadoffensive pass interference on AnthonyBrownStephens, afalse start on offensive lineman Elijah Baker and holding on center Jack Hollifield in aspan of five plays on one drive. The next time it had the ball,Elijah Baker and Landry Cannon were whistled forholding on back-to-back snaps. Before Rodgers’ interferencepenalty, nickelback Jayden Lewis was called for the same infraction.

“I’m livid about it,” Sumrall said. “Wetried to subinsome young offensive linemen to give them gameaction, andweget

back-to-back holding penalties. I hadsmoke on my ears on thesideline.All the coaches are probably hoping they don’tsit near me on the plane because Imight losemy mind on somebody over it.”

The late mistakes were not the only thingaggravating Sumrall. He wantednopart of hearing about Tulane’s 13-game winning streak in conference road games indicating it could endOct. 9 against EastCarolina without significant improvement. “Thisteam has won oneconference game,” he said. “I don’tcare what happened last year.Idon’t

Tulane wide receiver Bryce Bohanon, left, ran out of boundsona playagainst Tulsa on Saturday, one of numerous missteps on the dayfor the Green Wave

Retzlaff finished17of30for 242 yards,narrowly avoiding his first interception of the season when Tulsadefensive back Elijah Green dropped an easy opportunity in thefourth quarter

“You’renot going to be perfect,” Sumrallsaid. “Westill havealot of room to grow.He(Retzlaff)’s doing some really good stuff, but we have to keep doing better.”

Sumrall praised wideout Shazz Preston, who caught five passes for 54 yards, for making some contested grabs, but he lamented Bohanonrunning out of bounds before making adiving catch of a deep ball thatwas ruled an illegal touch on replayreview. BrownStephens’ push-offnegated his owndivingcatch in thefourth quarter

responsible forFoley in that defensive callbut released him when quarterback BaylorHayes scrambledtohis side of thefield on third-and-1. No one picked him up, allowing him to run free.

“Weshould have had thequarterback down, probably,” Sumrall said. “Weneed to leverage the football when the quarterback gets on the perimeter.That’sHarvey’scoverage, and he knows it, but that’sahard play on him. We should have had asafety over there. At worst,itshould have been athrow,acatch and atackle.”

carewhathappenedlastweek

We have alot of work to do to get ready to winagainst EastCarolina. Honestly, we suck right now We suck, andwehavetoget alot better.” Sumrall pointedtoanerratic passing game. Jake Retzlaff had completions of 24 yards to Omari Hayes and 27 to BryceBohanon on an opening touchdown drive but threwbehind Bohanonand tight endJustyn Reid on third down to stymiethe next two possessions. He could notconnect with an open Brown-Stephens deep on thefirst play of the following series.

“There’s still alot of room forus to growthrowing andcatching the ball,”Sumrall said. “When they said Bohanon ran outofbounds on his own, that would have been a huge momentum playfor us right there.”

Sumrallwas frustratedbyother mistakes, too. He said he and his staffwereoutcoached early before recalibrating afterTulsa fooled the defense on aflea flicker, converted asurprise onside kick and scored on a72-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brody Foley that tied the score at 14. Rush end Harvey Dyson was

Tulane gets 12 days in between games to correct its deficiencies, although theworkloadwillbe light forabanged-up team.Sumrall said first- andsecond-teamerswould practiceTuesdayand Wednesday for about an hour,rest Thursday and Friday and began normalgame-week preparation for East Carolina next Saturday

Onespothedoes nothaveto worry aboutisthe defensive line Tulane’ssix sacks and 13 tackles for loss against Tulsa covered up any deficiencies elsewhere and bode well for arun at aconference championship.

“If you can win at the line of scrimmage, whichwehave the abilityto, that’s arecipefor success,” Sumrall said. “I did really feel the defensive line alot today.

Oregon moves to No. 2 behind Ohio

BY ERIC OLSON AP college football writer

Oregon moved up to No. 2 in The Associated Press college football poll on Sunday, Mississippi earned its highest ranking since 2015, Alabama jumped back into the top 10 and Virginia was in the Top 25 for the first time in six years in the wake of a volatile weekend in which four top-10 teams lost.

Ohio State won at Washington and remains No. 1 for the fifth straight week. The Buckeyes received 46 first-place votes, six fewer than a week ago, and their 37-point lead over Oregon is the closest margin between the top two teams since the preseason poll in mid-August.

Oregon’s two-overtime win at Penn State earned the Ducks 16 first-place votes, 15 more than last week, and gave them their highest ranking since they were No. 1 for two months last year Miami, which had an open date, slipped one spot to No. 3 and was followed by Mississippi and idle Oklahoma The No 4 Rebels got a nine-rung promotion for beating LSU and have their highest ranking since they were No. 3 in late September 2015. LSU fell to No. 13,

swapping places with Mississippi. Texas A&M, Penn State, Indiana, Texas and Alabama round out the top 10. Alabama, which had been out of the top 10 since losing its opener

Whitley, St. Augustine rout Warren Easton

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Miguel Whitley had already scored two touchdowns when another pass came in his direction near the front right corner of the end zone. Just as he has done so many other times, the St. Augustine junior reached up and snatched it out of the air

Whitley snagged three touchdown passes in the first half, and the Purple Knights did the rest of their scoring on the ground on the way to defeating Warren Easton 47-22 in the District 9-5A opener Saturday at Tad Gormley Stadium.

Senior Keith Hill scored the next two touchdowns — one each in the second and third quarters as he rushed with 15 times for 153 yards.

Freshman Cohann Davis finished the scoring with four carries for 80 yards and two touchdowns —

the

final one a 60-yarder in the fourth quarter

The game was a matchup between undefeated teams that each scored more than 60 points last week, but it was St Augustine (4-0, 1-0 District 9-5A) that kept the scoring pace with touchdowns on its first four possessions.

“We did a good job of controlling the line of scrimmage,” St. Augustine coach Robert Valdez said.

“We challenged our guys to control the line of scrimmage offensively The four rushing touchdowns is pretty good. Getting the win was tough enough, but coming out here and being able to control the line of scrimmage was impressive.”

Both teams scored on their first possessions, but the next drive for Easton (3-1, 0-1) ended with a fumble and the two drives after that stalled on fourth downs

St. Augustine senior Vashaun Coulon completed 15 of 19 passes for 256 yards and the three touchdown passes to Whitley Coulon hit Whitley in stride on a long pass for a 66-yard touchdown that tied the score at 7-all. The next touchdown came on a pass to the

flat, where Whitley sidestepped a defender and ran untouched for a 20-yard score.

The third touchdown might have been the most impressive, when Whitley reached high and caught a 12-yard pass that was thrown to a spot where the defender could not reach it.

“If the ball is in the air, it’s mine,” said Whitley, listed by recruiting websites as one of the top wideouts in the country “I’m going to get it every time.”

Easton quarterback Carl Reed scored the opening touchdown on the first play after the elusive runner’s fourth-and-15 scramble to the 1.

The next drive ended with a fumble recovered by St. Augustine senior Larry Johnson, and St. Augustine went ahead 14-0 three plays later

Sacks by St. Augustine junior defensive Jacques Robicheaux and senior safety Syre Gilmore set back Easton on its next possession, and senior linebacker Chad Jones made a fourth-down stop on the next drive.

Easton senior running back Thomas Vaughn ran 15 times for 95 yards and had two catches for 22. Senior Terrell Surtain rushed eight times for 42 yards and a touchdown. Reed had two rushing scores.

Easton linebacker James Curley was taken off the field on a stretcher after he lay motionless following a tackle in the second quarter Coach Jerry Phillips said afterward that Curley regained feeling in his arms and legs after being transported to the hospital.

“The team was down,” Phillips said. “James is one of our good guys on the team, so (his teammates) were concerned about him.

I assured them that he was OK.”

St. Augustine will play next against Edna Karr on Friday in Algiers. Easton will face John Curtis on Thursday at Gormley

Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

against Florida State by two touchdowns, has won three straight after beating Georgia for the 10th time in 11 meetings and ending the Bulldogs’ 33-game home win streak No 12 Georgia has its lowest ranking

since it was No 12 on Dec. 6, 2020. It’s just

LSU needs Nussmeier to help struggling attack

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

OXFORD Miss. Garrett Nussmeier dropped back to pass on second and 4. LSU needed to score. Trailing Ole Miss 17-7 in the third quarter, fifth-year senior wide receiver Chris Hilton was wide-open streaking down the right sideline. This was the Tigers’ opportunity to put points on the board. In years past, this would have been an easy touchdown for LSU. But that wasn’t the case. Nussmeier underthrew the pass intended for Hilton. The play resulted in a pass interference call against Ole Miss, and eventually led to a 39yard field goal, but it could have been much more.

The throw was emblematic of what has been a frustrating start to the season for Nussmeier who has been dealing with a torso injury since the preseason. LSU coach Brian Kelly mentioned the ailment after LSU’s win over Florida in Week 3, but said on Saturday that he’s 100%.

“Look, all I can tell you is (this), he’s healthy,” Kelly said.

Nussmeier was also asked about his health after the game but declined to comment on the matter “I’m not going to answer any questions about my health right

now,” Nussmeier said. “Right now, obviously, I’m frustrated about the loss, and we’re going to get back and watch the tape. Find ways to get better.”

LSU lost 24-19 to Ole Miss on Saturday, and Nussmeier’s struggles played a large part in the defeat. The fifth-year senior completed 21-of-34 passes for 197 yards. He only completed two passes of more than 20 yards and connected with receivers on just half of his final 12 throws of the game.

Among his mistakes was an interception he threw with 14:16 left in the first half. With LSU driving in Ole Miss territory and leading 7-3, Nussmeier’s pass intended for senior wide receiver Barion Brown was intercepted by Wydell Williams at the Rebels’

12-yard line.

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier gets the pass off against Ole Miss in the fourth quarter on Saturday at VaughtHemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss.

“I’m going to bang my head on the wall about it for a while,” Nussmeier said, “but, as I said, we’ve got to move on.”

Physically, he seemed hobbled throughout the night, getting up gingerly and moving slowly after getting hit.

Nussmeier’s physical status wasn’t the only thing that plagued LSU’s offense against the Rebels. The Tigers only ran the ball for 57 yards on 22 carries. Their receivers had trouble getting open downfield. On third down, they only converted twice.

But for LSU’s offense to reach its potential, it needs a healthy Nussmeier. He was the secondyear starter expected to follow in the footsteps of Jayden Daniels and Joe Burrow

Storylines to watch at NBA Media Days

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP Basketball Writer

Welcome back, NBA.

The phenomenon known as media day — when NBA teams pull on their uniforms, pose for photos and field questions from reporters on the eve of their first training camp practices of the season — happens on Monday for 25 of the league’s 30 teams. (Brooklyn, New York, New Orleans, Phoenix and Philadelphia all had Media Day last week and were allowed to start their camps early to prepare for overseas preseason games.)

Some of the storylines to watch on Monday:

LeBron’s future

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is going to break Vince Carter’s record and play in his 23rd NBA season, a longevity mark that probably isn’t going to be caught anytime soon — though it should be noted that the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul is going into his 21st season and Philadelphia’s Kyle Lowry is starting his 20th season. Thus begins the annual watch: Is this the end for James?

He’ll be asked the question in some form on Monday and whatever he says — yes, no or otherwise — will be big news. He’s not under contract for next season, and there will likely be speculation at times this season about whether he’ll finish this year with

the Lakers or will he ask to be traded elsewhere.

It’s hard to envision that James who has given no indications that he would want a “farewell tour” type of season — will commit to a definitive plan for his future. And remember, it’s not like he’s got nothing left in the tank. The 40-year-old James (he turns 41 on Dec. 30) is still an elite-level player with numbers that baffle logic for a man his age. He averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists last season. Nobody over the age of 32, other than James, has ever done that in NBA history

The Kawhi situation

What will Kawhi Leonard say? Probably not much, but this is certainly going to be a media day subplot. The Clippers’ standout — along with his team, and team owner Steve Ballmer — are all part of an NBA investigation into whether salary cap rules were circumvented by Leonard entering into an endorsement deal with a former sponsor of the team. The NBA has said it will not rush to any judgment in its probe of the matter and has hired outside counsel to figure it all out.

The NBA opened its investigation earlier this month into whether a $28 million endorsement contract between Leonard and Aspiration Fund Adviser LLC a company that filed for bankruptcy earlier

this year — broke league rules, following a report by journalist Pablo Torre. The Clippers have strongly denied that any rules were broken and said they welcomed the league’s investigation.

Tatum’s time

Injuries are a huge story entering this season. Eastern Conference champion Indiana will be without Tyrese Haliburton for the entirety of this season after he tore his Achilles in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Portland has Damian Lillard back but isn’t sure when he can play after his own Achilles tear, and Dallas is waiting to see when Kyrie Irving’s surgically repaired ACL will be ready for his return to the floor

And then there’s Jayson Tatum, who tore his Achilles during last season’s playoffs.

But the Boston star has been dropping hints in recent days that it might not be wise to rule him out for the season.

“I just want everybody to know I appreciate the love and support,” Tatum said in a YouTube video he posted over the weekend, one that included snippets of him going through what he said was his third on-court workout since the surgery “It’s been a long journey but I’m working my tail off to get back, to get healthy for the love of the game obviously and then for the fans that support me and the team.”

THEART OF SCIENCE

TBY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

he screech owlwas tinier than Pippin Frisbie-Calder expected, which made him all the moreperfect. Then he winked at her Technically,it’smoreofablink that happens when an owl’seyelids fallout of sync, butFrisbie-Calder didn’tcare.

To her,it was awink, and shelifted her camera just in time to catch it through thehabitatwindow in theLSU School of Veterinary Medicine’sraptor enclosure.

“This is my firstscreech owl,” said Frisbie-Calder, who is the school’sartist-in-residence. “I just love him.”

Thebestpartofher discovery is knowingthatthiswinking owl is notonlynativetoLouisiana, but he’sbeingrehabilitated in the very place that is inspiringher artwork.

Artisthe reason Frisbie-Calder readily enters theraptor enclosure. She brings the owl’s image, along with the experience of meeting him, to her studiowithin the cool comfortofthe Stephenson PetClinic, where she’sspent the past month working as the artistin-residence.

LSUVet Med artist-in-residence

work created during

She’s thefourth artist to workin this position, the first from Louisiana. Fornow,her work in progress hangs in themakeshift studio. The artworkisacollaged swampscape of Frisbie-Calder’s drawings and block prints layeredonto atablesizedcanvas to highlight native Louisiana birds mingling among thefauna. Will thescreech owl be-

come apartofit? Maybe. Still, none of thefinished works at the vet school —officially known as theLSU VetMed —will be revealed until Nov.10, when theschool hosts ashow of the residency’sworks in itslibrary.The showincludes both works completed at the school and pieces thatFrisbie-Calder will

ä See ARTIST, page 2D

According to research, 75% of those who plan ahead aremore

likely to takeafull week or more of vacation in asingle stretch. By crafting astrategy in advance you’ll have your pickofdepartures, thebestcabins on acruise ship and more options in popular resort areas. While you are at it, scan the year ahead and be the

Howcan Imaintain my sense of wellbeing aftermydiagnosis of dementia?

The definition of “well-being” includes the good or satisfactory condition of existence; a state characterized by health, happiness and prosperity The notion of well-being is part of the missionand philosophy of The Eden Alternative, which asserts that no matter how old we are or whatchallenges we live with, life is about continuing to grow.The Eden Alternative identifies seven domains of well-being, whichis the focus of the book, “Dementia Beyond Disease,” written by Dr.AlPower.Inthis book, Power explains the importance of living the seven domains for an overall sense of well-being in life. These seven domains include identity,growth, meaning, connectedness, security autonomyand joy

One of the basic proponents of well-being is having and keeping that sense of identity; your personhood, that others understand and acknowledge you and preserve that which you are at all times. Youhave a history to preserve and to be respected and you should uphold it as such for as long as you can and let others know how important it is to you. Youneed to know that you are still valued and that your feelings matter Growth is another domain to well-being. Youare continually expanding and evolving, and you will continue to develop. As Power puts it in one of his presentations, “As long as you are breathing, growth is possible.” Make sure to continue to do meaningful activities in your lifeas“meaning” is another important domain. This meaning and purpose speaks to your personal history and values and what is significant and sacred to you in your life. Being in “relationships” is vital for people with dementia, for isolation may only accelerate the progression of the disease. Keep connected and engaged to those around you and embrace that belonging in your environment. The late Dr.Richard Taylor,who suffered from younger onset Alzheimer’s, was often perplexed at the exclusion by his close friends. After Taylor’sdiagnosis, one friend told him that he didn’tcall him anymore because he didn’tknow what to say.Dr. Taylor told his friend, “Just say ‘Hello.’”Itis so important to maintain those vital relationships and healthy social interactions. Autonomyisacentral domainfor well-being forit meanshaving choice and control in your life. Make your financial and healthcare plans and desires knowntoothers and be vigilant in your selfdetermination. The seventh domain does not need an explanation, because it is “joy.” Everyonedeserves great pleasure, contentment and happiness in theirlifetime, anda diagnosisofdementiashouldnot diminishorerase that. Aperson’swell-being is

Skin conditionrequiresfurther exploration

Dear Doctors: For almost two months now,I’ve had bumpson the back,sides and crown of my head. They itch all the time —and even more when Iget hot.When Iscratch, Isee white or brown flakes. My dermatologistinsists it’sdermatitis. He has prescribed clobetasol and antihistamines, but they do nothing. Neither does UV light treatment. How can Iget the help Ineed?

Dear reader: Youhave our sympathy for the situation you have described. We see thisasa case of your symptoms being treated without aclear understanding of the root cause. This can result in delayed, incorrect or missed diagnoses. At best, you, the patient, continue dealing withuncomfortable symptoms. At worst, itcan

Dr.Elizabeth Ko

Dr.Eve Glazier ASK THE DOCTORS

lead to serious health problems depending onthe root cause. Let’sbegin with dermatitis. Dermatitis is ageneral term for inflammation of the skin. It can happenwhen something causes theskin to rally the immune system.There are several possible causes of this response. It could be an irritant in the environment,anallergen or agenetic

difference that affects the skin’s response. Symptomsinclude itching, redness,rash, bumps, dry or scaly patches, and peeling or flaking skin. In moreserious cases, it can cause athickening of the skin. It can even trigger blisters. You’ve been asked to try treatments for several of these possible causes of dermatitis. Clobetasol is avery strong topical medication. It’soften prescribed for eczema, psoriasis and other inflammatory conditions. The UV light box can ease symptoms by slowing abnormal cell growth. This treatment can help in some types of plaque psoriasis. Antihistamines would help if your symptomswere from an allergy Since you have had no change in your symptomsintwo months,

Acongressman walks into acoffee shop …

Dear Miss Manners: Iwas at acoffeehouse in my neighborhood on aSaturday morning when my congressional representative took aseat two tables over.Ihad seen him there before, but refrained from approaching him or speaking with him. Icould tell from his informal clothing that he was trying to fit in and not be noticed. But because he took aseat close by,Ithought Iwould try to say something about a politicalissue that’s beenon my mind. He quickly cut me off, explaining that he was just there to eat something. I apologized and assured I would not bother him further Iwas so embarrassed that Ihaven’treturned to that coffeehouse. Idon’twant him to see me and think that I’m stalking him. But I’ve been going to that coffeehouse for years, and he has only recently started going there. Is it OK for me to return there?

it seems it’stimetolook beyond these possible causes. Youdescribed alocalized condition,only in areas of hair growth. We wonder if your doctor has discussed the possibility of ascalpbased fungal infection, such as dandruff or folliculitis? In these instances, we would recommend that our own patients try using an antifungal shampoo. If that provides anyrelief from your symptoms, it would be agood starting point. This could lead to additionaltreatments, such as other topical or even oral antifungal medications. We weren’table to include a portion of your letter that mentioned you had askin biopsy that came back negative. We wonder if, rather than abiopsy,this was a

ARTIST

Continuedfrom page1D

skin scraping for ringworm? If so, ringworm tests can produce false negatives. Aretest for ringworm using acombination of methods would be agood idea. Aretest should include apolymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. APCR test can detect fungal DNA. As we often tell our readers and our own patients, you can also always get asecond opinion. A different doctor may have wider experience with your condition and bring afresh approach.

Sendyour questions to askthedoctors@mednet.ucla. edu, or write: Ask theDoctors c/oUCLA HealthSciences Media Relations, 10880 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite1450, Los Angeles, CA, 90024.

to engage with strangers when they are off duty. A quickcompliment is usually appreciated,but you were proposing apolitical discussion. Nevertheless, it is an importantpart of alegislator’sjob to listen to the views of constituents. He was foolish,aswell as rude, to dismissyou so curtly.Hecould have said,“Iwantto hear yourviews, but this is not thetime or place to havea discussion.” Then he could have suggested that you visit his office, write aletter or attend aforum. There is no reason for you to avoid thecoffee shop. Perhaps it will present an opportunity for thepolitician to apologize to you.

Idid not take an inordinate amount of time in the restroom.Was there abetter way to respond?

Gentlereader: “Oh, dear, am Iresponsible for your having an accident?I’m so sorry.”

Dear Miss Manners: Ifind the common out-of-office message, “I will respond to your inquiries at my earliest convenience,” extremely inappropriate. Really,“at your earliest convenience?” Irecommend“as soon as possible” or something morecustomer-friendly

How can Itell someone in my organization who uses that message that it’snot appropriate?

complete in herNew Orleans studio. Either way,the artwork will be areflection of her interaction with theschool’s clinicians,researchers, studentsand animals,which she has approached with joy

Theresidency

TheLSU vetschool launched theartist-in-residence program in 2022. It’s thenation’sfirst at any vet school and is designed to explore the intersection between artand veterinarian medicine.

So far,artists haveexplored this subject through visualart, music composition and poetry by spending time with the school’s personnel and the animals for which they arestudying and treating.

observations and interpretations of the natural world laythe groundwork fornot only creating beautiful art but also posing questions that are vital to thehealth of animals, humans and the natural world.”

purposely placed there and is maintained with care.

“It’slike aport,” the artist explains. “So, cows basically have four stomachs, and they need rumen for digestion.”

Gentle reader: He is not running for reelection, is he? Actually, MissManners agrees that recognizable people should not have

By The Associated Press

Today is Monday,Sept. 29, the 272nd day of 2025. There are 93 days left in the year.

Todayinhistory: On Sept. 29, 1954, Willie Mays of the New York Giants made arunning, over-the-shoulder catch of aballhit by VicWirtz ofthe Cleveland Indians in Game 1ofthe 1954 WorldSeries; “The Catch” would become one of the most famous plays in baseball history

Also on this date:

In 1789, Congress officially established aregular army under the U.S. Constitution.

In 1938, British, French German and Italian leaders concluded the Munich Agreement, which was aimed at appeasing Adolf Hitler by allowing Nazi annexation of Czechoslovakia’sSudetenland.

In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed an actcreating the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1982, Extra-Strength Tylenol capsules laced with deadly cyanide claimed the first of sevenvictims in the Chicago area; the case, which led to legislation and packaging improvements

Dear Miss Manners: Iattended aplay at atheater that had just one single-stall ladies’ room. When Iwas finished usingthe facilities, Iopenedthe door andfaced awoman standingsquarely in my way,scowling at me. After holding thescowl for afew silentmoments, she said, “I thought you’d never leave.” Taken aback, Imerely laughed awkwardly as we sidled past each other Miss Manners, Ipromise

TODAYINHISTORY

to deterproducttampering, remains unsolved In 1988, theU.S.space shuttle program resumed after a32-month suspension followingthe 1986 Challenger disaster with thelaunch of Discovery, carryinga crew of five astronauts, from theJohnF Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Discovery’screw deployed asatelliteand conducted science experimentsbeforereturningto Earth with alandingon Oct. 3atEdwardsAir Force Base in California.

In 1990,the construction of Washington NationalCathedral concluded, 83 years to the day after its foundation stone was laid in aceremony attended by President TheodoreRoosevelt.

In 2005, John G. Roberts Jr.was sworn in as thenation’s17th chief justice after winningSenateconfirmation.

In 2017, TomPrice resigned as President Donald Trump’ssecretary of Health andHuman Services amid investigations into hisuse of costly charter flightsfor official travel at taxpayer expense.

In 2018, Tesla andits CEO, Elon Musk,agreedto payatotal of $40 million to settle agovernment lawsuit

Gentle reader: “There might be some pronoun trouble here.You don’t mean to put off ourcustomers until it’s convenientfor youtotendto them. Youmean youwill getback with them as soon as youcan,don’t you?”

Send questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners. com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail com; or through postal mailtoMiss Manners, Universal Uclick,1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

alleging that Musk had duped investors withmisleading statements about aproposed buyout of the company

In 2021, ajudge in Los Angeles suspended Britney Spears’ father from theconservatorship that had controlled her life and money for 13 years, saying thearrangementreflected a “toxic environment.”

In 2022, rescue crews piloted boatsand waded through flooded streetsto save thousands of Floridians trapped after Hurricane Ian destroyed homes and businesses and left millions in the dark.

Today’sbirthdays: Former NASAadministrator and ex-Sen.Bill Nelson,D-Fla., is 83. Actor Ian McShane is 83. Jazz musician Jean-Luc Ponty is 83. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Walesa, former president of Poland, is 82. RetiredTVjournalist andsportscaster Bryant Gumbel is 77. Olympic gold medal runner Sebastian Coe is 69. Rockmusician Les Claypoolis62. Actor Zachary Leviis45. ActorChrissy Metz (TV:“This Is Us”) is 45. ActorKelly McCreary (TV:“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 44. Football HallofFamer Calvin Johnson is 40. NBA All-Star Kevin Durant is 37.

Alzheimer’s advocate and author of “What My Grandchildren Taught Me About Alzheimer’s Disease.” She hosts“The Memory Whisperer.” Emailher at thememorywhisperer@ gmail.com.

Frisbie-Calder,the program’s second visual artist, is known for her interdisciplinary work at the intersection of art and science. She not only maintains a personal studio, but she’s an adjunctprofessor at Tulane University in boththe Newcomb Art Department andthe university’sDepartmentofEcology and Evolutionary Biology

The Hammond native’s passion for nature began in childhood, when she was home-schooled aboard a boat built by her parents, which sailedthrough Cuba, the Caribbean and Central America. She is represented by Ann Connelly Fine Art in BatonRouge and LeMieux GalleriesinNew Orleans. Her LSU residency ran from Aug. 4toAug. 29.

Frisbie-Calder’s workisa mixofprintmaking, woodcutting, silk screening and large-scale installation that often centers on such bioindicators as birds. Her mission is to raise awareness of endangered species and environmental challenges. Her practice also embodies theVet Med’s“OneHealth” philosophy,whichemphasizesthe deep connection between human, animal and environmental health.

“Weare delightedto attract artists of Pippin Frisbie-Calder’scaliber to ourgrowing Artist-in-ResidenceProgram,” Dean Oliver Garden said. “Her keen

TRAVEL

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first to claim vacation days around existing holidays andschool breaks, creating alonger stretch forrelaxation and enjoyment.

Crafting abucketlist

Taking time to create a thoughtful bucketlistcan make it easiertoplanfor meaningful vacations, those that are adeliberate reflection of your values,hopes and dreams.Sobeforeyou begin listing desired destinations, ask yourself what aspects of theworld —geographically,spiritually and culturally —you want to share with your children, grandchildren andperhaps other friendsand familymembers.And, when it comes time to involve thechildren in creatinga meaningful list,remember

Frisbie-Calder added that shehopes to inspireenvironmental stewardship through educationaland interactive art, “tasking each viewer to consider how art and science togethercan solve many of theissues facing us today.”

MilkDudinspires Birds aren’tthe only animals inhabiting theartist’s vetschool studio.A cow named MilkDud seems to have carved outher own space in Frisbie-Calder’s heart.

MilkDud is the starofa small drawing that FrisbieCalder is considering for a painting. Anddeservedly so. The cow is abeloved vet school resident, and her story is the perfect illustrationofFrisbie-Calder’sresidency

Thecow is notonlyagentle spirit but plays an important role at the vet school.

“MilkDud isn’tjust acow, she is alifesaver,” said Clare Scully,the veterinarian in charge of the cow.“As afistulated cow at theLSU School of Veterinary Medicine,she plays avital role in transfaunation,aprocess that transfers healthy rumen microbes from her digestive system to animals suffering from ruminal dysfunction. Thanks to her, thousands of cattle, sheep andgoats have recovered from life-threatening conditions and returned to productive lives.”

Frisbie-Calderpoints to a place in herpicture,where MilkDud appears to have a hole in herleft, back quarter.Inreality,the hole was

thatkids don’tknowwhat they don’tknow.Certain theme parks andresorts will likely be on their radar screens. Buttheymay not be aware of the glories of Yellowstone or Yosemite or the historical significance of Gettysburg or Montpelier

Celebratemilestone events

Geographic spread, busy careersand school and sports schedulesmakeit more difficult than ever to spend time together

Therefore,planning ahead to celebrate birthdays, graduations andanniversaries canbeanimportant touchstone and meaningful part of afamily’slegacy With plenty of advance notice, you’ll increase the odds that more family members will be able to take part in the fun. Ask your clan to save adate andthenget to work creating agathering that will be

The rumen allowscowsto regurgitate their food so it can be reswallowed,thereby breaking down coarse material fordigestion. But somegrazing animals have trouble in this department.

“And so they put asurgical implant in MilkDud to access this part of her stomach forthe rumen,”FrisbieCalder said. So, healthy rumen is taken from MilkDud and injected into animals with depleted rumen,thereby saving their lives.

“MilkDud’sjourney began with achallenge,” Scully said. “She wasborn with amild wrynose, a congenital condition that can range from cosmetic to life-threatening. While hers is notsevere, it meant she was not acandidate for breeding, as heroffspring could inherit amore seriousformofthe condition. Additionally,her anatomy made her unsuitable for dairy production.” So, she was labeled a “dud,”the origin of her name, MilkDud. In Frisbie-Calder’sart collection, MilkDud is depictedlooking straight at the viewer in her grazing pasture.

“What somesaw as alimitation,” Scully said, “became her superpower.” MilkDud has earned a place of honorinthiscollection,but what of the screech owl? Well, if Frisbie-Calder’swide smile is any indication, the little owl is adefinite shoo-in.

Email RobinMillerat romiller@theadvocate. com.

alasting memory forall. Reap thebenefits

In-depth research indicates that Americanswho take time to plan their vacation daysinthe year ahead are happier than their comewhat-maycounterparts.Planners are happier with their health and well-being, their financialpicture,their personal relationships andeven their overallmood,according to the research. Further, an overwhelming majority of American workers report that time offhelps them relax and recharge, and offers theopportunity to pursue personalinterests. Nearly two-thirds of employeessay their concentration and productivity at work improves with time off. Business leadersechothis sentiment. Of those surveyed, 91% believe employees return from vacation recharged andrenewed —and readytoworkmore effectively

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct 23) Before you jump into something of interest, do your research. Taking a chance will ultimately prove to be a valuable learning experience. Keep your overhead low and your plans simple.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Arguing is a waste of time. Actions are the quintessential route to getting the results you want. Mix a little discipline with ingenuity, and something good will transpire.

sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) If you need change, think outside the box, and don't be afraid to do things differently. Learn how to accept the inevitable and protect what's important to you.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Look for opportunities; diversify and put your energy into getting ahead, prosperity and avoiding extravagance and temptation. It's up to you to control an outcome by paying attention.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Tidy up loose ends. Chat with a headhunter or agency that offers insight into what's available and how to tailor and market your skills to fit today's professional needs.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Pay attention, study trends and work to keep up with the times Enhance your skill set, refine your resume and position yourself to capitalize on opportunities that arise while networking.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Honesty is the best policy, especially when you are looking inward and need to give

yourself a reality check. Trust your instincts, believe in yourself and follow through with a positive attitude.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Take advantage of any opportunity you get to deal with institutions or people in a position of power. Engage with others and share your message, and you can make a difference.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Change requires your input. Focus on what you want to modify with a "learn as you go" attitude as you connect with those who can guide you. Participation is in your best interest.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) It is best to do less but deliver more. The impression you leave will make a difference when you want something in return. Avoid hasty decisions or engaging in joint ventures.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) You have choices, and it's essential to look out for your welfare. Be kind to yourself; avoid self-criticism and reach for the stars. Choose peace and love over negativity.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Concentrate on health, diet and physical fitness. A positive change of attitude will stimulate your need to feel and do your best. Let positive actions lead the way.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of thesudoku increases from monday to sunday.

Saturday’s PuzzleAnswer

Bridge

By PHILLIP ALDER

Jack Benny said, “It’snot so much knowingwhen to speak, as when to pause.”

At thebridge table, it’s oftennot so muchknowing when to play, as when to pause forthought.That applies in particularattrickone.Themorethinkingat trickone,thebetteryouwillplay,whether you are the declarerora defender In today’s deal, how should South play in five heartsafterWest leads the diamond king?

The bidding wasshort but exciting. East’s four-spade opening bid would have usually been based on an eightcard suit, but wasunderstandablesince he wasnonvulnerable. However,South had an easy five-heart overcall. West wondered about six diamonds,but knew it would be awild action. (Sixdiamonds doubledcanbedefeatedbyseventricks, minus 1,700.)

Now to thisdifficult declarer-play problem.Given the opening lead, South has only 10 toptricks: seven hearts, one diamond and two clubs.Yes,the club jack might drop singleton or doubleton butthatisunlikely.Andassumingitdoes notappear,howcandeclarerpossiblyget home? There is one chance: South must find West with theclub jack. And, even harder to realize, declarer must not win the first trick.

Let’s assumeWest continues withthe diamond queen. South ruffs in hishand, draws trumps,cashes theclub ace, and overtakes the club queen withdummy’s king. Then he continues withthe club 10, pitching aspade from his hand. West takes the trick, but mustgive the lead back to the dummy and allow declarer to discard hislasttwo spades ©2025 by nEa,inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

wuzzles

Each Wuzzle is awordriddlewhich creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: nOOn gOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn

Previous answers:

word game

InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3 additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s”

not be used. 4. proper

explicit wordsare not allowed

or

ToDAy’s WoRD BuREAus: BYUR-ohs:Low chests of drawers used in a bedroom.

Average mark13words

Timelimit 20 minutes

Can you find 17 or morewords in BUREAUS?

sATuRDAy’s WoRD —InMATEs

Johnsees Jesus coming to him, and said,

the LambofGod,which takes away the sin of the world.” John1:29

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.

Saturday’s Puzzle Answer

ken ken

InstructIons: 1 Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner. HErE is a

WiShinG Well

the number of

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Anyone knowingthe whereabouts of VelmaCunninghamHarris, should please call theCanzoneri LawFirm andattorney RaymondCanzoneri, Jr.at504-889-0074. 160114-9/27-28-29-3t $97.00

Barely used.$250 Please call 504-615-7287 CARROLLTON 4329 HollygroveSt. WaterPd#F1Br $800 #A 2Br$900/mo 504-313-2192

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Sign on Bonus FT,Benefits, PTO. Applyat 1stlake.com/jobs

NewOrleans Real Estate ForSale

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Stateof Louisiana. TheBureauofPurchas‐ingusescommodity codestonotifysuppliers of therelease of asourc‐ingevent andsubse‐quentmodificationsvia addendum. Note that you wouldreceive thosenoti‐ficationsifyou selected thefollowing commodity code(s) before there‐leaseofthe sourcing event: COMMODITYCODE(s):

TheCityofNew Orleans strongly encourages mi‐nority-owned and women-ownedbusi‐nesses, socially andeco‐nomicallydisadvantaged businessesand small businessestorespond to this solicitation,orto participateinsubcon‐tracting opportunities pursuant to this solicita‐tion Formoreinformation aboutthissourcing event, go to www.nola. govand clickon“BRASS SupplierPortal” under “BIDS& CONTRACTS” Once on theSupplierPor‐tal, search “Open Events.” Thankyou foryourinter‐estindoing business with theCityofNew Or‐l

agreements having aterm of morethan one year must be reviewed and approved by the NewOrleans City Council (“Council”); NOW THEREFORE

SECTION I. THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS HEREBY

ORDAINS, That the Mayor,onbehalf of the CityofNew Orleans (“City”), is herebyauthorized to enter into the attached cooperativeendeavor agreement (“CEA”) with Desire Community Housing Corporation, for aterm of 30 years,for the public purpose of providing economic development and improving health outcomes and public safety in the DesireNeighborhood through completion of construction on the Desire Square site,which will includespace for ahealth clinic, pharmacy,grocery store, and non-profit offices as well as a30-year policesubstation leaseonsite.

SECTION II. That said CEA is attached to this ordinanceasExhibit “A” and incorporated and made apart hereof ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS AUGUST

State Law La. R.S. 2:135.1 permits airports eligible to receive funding fromthe FederalAviationAdministration to leaseimmovable property at fair market value without competitive solicitation and the NOAB negotiated with respect to the building commonly known as the MSY Airport Warehouse Building #10, located at 200 Crofton Road, Kenner, Louisiana consisting of 15,500 squarefeet;NOW,THEREFORE SECTION 1. THE COUNCIL OF 1THE CITY OF NEWORLEANS HEREBY

ORDAINS, That the Council hereby approves and that the City of New Orleans, by and through the New Orleans Aviation Board,beand is hereby authorized to sign the following lease agreement in substantial conformance to and with Exhibit “A” attached hereto and made aparthereof: Exhibit:A Document: Lease Agreement with Navivan Corp.

ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS AUGUST 7, 2025 JP MORRELL PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

DELIVERED TO THE MAYOR ON AUGUST 7, 2025

APPROVED: AUGUST 13, 2025

LATOYACANTRELL

MAYOR RETURNED BY THE MAYOR ON AUGUST 13, 2025 AT 3:35 P.M.

AISHA R. COLLIER ASSISTANT CLERK OF COUNCIL ROLL CALL VOTE: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0 ABSENT:0 RECUSED: 0 **Copies of the attachment may be seen in full in theClerk of Council’s Office, 1300 Perdido Street, Room 1E09, City Hall. ORDINANCE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS

7, 2025 JP MORRELL PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

DELIVERED TO THE MAYOR ON AUGUST7,2025

APPROVED: AUGUST13, 2025

LATOYACANTRELL

MAYOR RETURNED BY THE MAYOR ON AUGUST13, 2025 AT 3:35 P.M.

AISHA R. COLLIER

ASSISTANTCLERK OF COUNCIL

ROLL CALL VOTE: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:0 RECUSED: 0 **Copies of the attachment maybeseen in full in the Clerk of Council’s Office, 1300 PerdidoStreet, Room 1E09, CityHall

ORDINANCE

CITY OF NEW ORLEANS

CITY HALL: July 24, 2025

CALENDARNO. 35,176 NO. 30416 MAYOR COUNCIL SERIES

BY:COUNCILMEMBERS HARRIS ANDGIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST)

AN ORDINANCE authorizing the Mayor of the City of NewOrleans to enter into aCooperative Endeavor Agreement between the City of NewOrleans (the “City”), the NewOrleans Recreation Development Commission (the “NORD”), and FriendsofLafitte Corridor,Inc., doing business as,Lafitte Greenway Partnership, (the “LGP”), for aterm greater than one year,for the public purpose of maximizing the Lafitte Greenway for public recreational use and enjoyment in the City of New Orleans, as morefully detailed in the CooperativeEndeavor Agreement formattached hereto as Exhibit “A”; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. WHEREAS, pursuant to the authority contained in Article 7, Section 14(C) of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, and statutory authority supplemental thereto, the State of Louisiana and its political subdivisions, including the City and NORD, mayenter into cooperativeendeavors with each other, or with any public or private corporation or individual; and furtherpursuant to Section 9-314 of the Home Rule Charter of the City of New Orleans, the City mayenter into cooperativeendeavors with any public or private association, corporation, or individual for activities in supportofeconomic growth and other public purposes; and WHEREAS, LGP is an independent IRS designated 501(C)(3) corporation that works to build,program, and promote the Lafitte Greenway as agreat public space; and WHEREAS, the City, NORD, and LGPdesiretoenter into acooperative endeavor agreement in ordertoaccomplishthe valued public purpose of maximizing the Lafitte Greenway for public recreational use and enjoyment in the CityofNew Orleans; NOW THEREFORE

SECTION I. THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS HEREBY

ORDAINS, That the Mayor,onbehalf of the CityofNew Orleans, is hereby authorized to enter into the attached cooperativeendeavor agreement with NORD and LGP,for aterm of 3years,for the public purpose of maximizing theLafitte Greenway for public recreational use and enjoyment in the City of NewOrleans SECTION 2. Thatsaid the cooperativeendeavor agreement is attached to this ordinanceas“Exhibit A” and incorporated and made apart hereof

ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS AUGUST 7, 2025 JP MORRELL PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

DELIVERED TO THE MAYOR ON AUGUST7,2025 APPROVED: AUGUST13, 2025

RETURNED BY THE MAYOR ON AUGUST 13, 2025 AT 3:35 P.M. AISHAR.COLLIER ASSISTANT CLERKOFCOUNCIL ROLLCALLVOTE: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris,King, Morrell, Thomas -6 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: Moreno -1

RECUSED: 0 **Copies of the attachment maybeseen in full in the ClerkofCouncil’s Office, 1300 Perdido Street, Room 1E09, City Hall ORDINANCE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS CITY HALL: July 24, 2025 CALENDARNO. 35,178 NO. 30417 MAYOR COUNCIL SERIES BY:COUNCILMEMBER KING (BY REQUEST) AN ORDINANCE to authorize the Mayor of the City of New Orleans to enter into Amendment No. 1 to apreviously executed Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (“CEA”) between the City of New Orleans (the “City”), and Heroes of New Orleans (“HONO”), relative to supporting education, health, and wellness as it relates to the City’schildren, youth, and families, to modify the provisions thereof and extend the term thereof for an additional 2years and 5months, as morefully set forth in the Amendment No. 1form attached hereto as Exhibit “A” and made aparthereof; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

WHEREAS, pursuant to the authority contained in Article 7, Section 14(C) of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, and statutoryauthority supplemental thereto, the State

private association, corporation, or individual for activities in supportofeconomic growth and other public purposes; and WHEREAS, the City and HONO desiretomodify the provisions of the previously executed CEA relative to supporting education, health and wellness, as it relates to the City’schildren, youth and families, to modify the provisions thereof and to extend the term thereof to December 31, 2026; and WHEREAS, the City and HONO desiretoenter into this Amendment No. 1to provide for an extension of the initial agreement and to set forth certain other matters in connection therewith; NOW THEREFORE

SECTION I. THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS HEREBY ORDAINS, That the Mayor,onbehalf of the City of New Orleans, is hereby authorized to enter into Amendment No. 1, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit “A”,

OF FICIAL PROCEEDINGS OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS REGULAR SESSION

CITY HALL: AUGUST 7, 2025

The Council of the City of New Orleans met this day in Regular Session, at 10:17 A.M., in the Council Chamber,City Hall, Council President, JP Morrell, presiding.

On calling the roll, the following members answered to their names:

PRESENT: MORENO (VICE PRESIDENT) MORRELL (PRESIDENT) GIARRUSSO HARRIS KING GREEN THOMAS

SEVEN MEMBERS PRESENT, CONSTITUTING AQUORUM.

ROLL CALL

AISHA R. COLLIER

ASSISTANT CLERK OF COUNCIL

INVOCATION

BISHOP BRANDON BOUTIN

UNITED FELLOWSHIP FULL GOSPELBAPTIST CHURCH

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE JP MORRELL

COUNCILMEMBER-AT-LARGE

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

June 3, 2025 (Special),July 10, 2025, July 21, 2025 (Committee of the Whole) and July 24, 2025.

APPROVED.

IZD APPEAL OF ERICA P. SENSENBRENNER, ASSOCIATE, ADAMS &REESE ON BEHALF OF JIMMY’S ON CANAL ST LLC -Requesting to appeal the denial of the Commercial Short-Term Rental Permits for the property located at 617 Canal Street, Units 201, 301 and 401.

WITHDRAWN. (At the applicant’srequest). FOR RECONSIDERATION BY REASON OFTHE MAYOR’S VETOORD. NO. 30410 M.C.S. (AS AMENDED) –CAL. NO. 35,166 -BY:

COUNCILMEMBERSMORRELL, GIARRUSSO, MORENO AND HARRIS

-AnOrdinance to call an election on November 15, 2025, at which the electors of the City of New Orleans will be asked to approve an amendment to the Home Rule Charter establishing Section 4-406, which provides relative to the independence of the City Attorney as the legal representative of the City of New Orleans and includes provisions that clarify the identity of the City Attorney’sprimary client, compel compliance with ethical rules governing institutional representation, requireconsultation with all branches of government, mandate independent and impartial legal judgment in the face of conflicting directives, impose an affirmative duty to comply with and uphold laws whenever possible, prohibit conflicting representation in inter-branch disputes without consent, authorize the adoption of legislation ensuring the operational independence of the Law Department, and prevent unilateral removal by the Mayor in certain situations, and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

ROLL CALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell,Thomas -7

NAYS: 0 ABSENT:0

RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED.

THIS IS TO CERTIFY THATTHE ABOVEORDINANCE VETOEDBYTHE MAYOR WASRETURNED TO THE CLERK OFCOUNCIL AND AT THE COUNCIL’S NEXT REGULAR MEETING OFAUGUST 7, 2025, THE COUNCIL VOTED 7YEAS AND 0NAYSTOOVERRULE THE MAYOR’S VETO.

ORDINANCES ON FINAL PASSAGE

CAL. NO. 35,035 -BY:

COUNCILMEMBERKING -AnOrdinance to requirethe installation of yield signs at crosswalks along North Rampart Street between Esplanade Avenue and Canal Street to protect pedestrians crossing; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

WITHDRAWN.

CAL. NO. 35,164 -BY:

COUNCILMEMBERGREEN (BY REQUEST) -An

Ordinance to approve and authorize the City of New Orleans (“City”), by and through the New Orleans Aviation Board(“NOAB”), to enter into a Lease Agreement at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport with NAVIVAN CORP.; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

ROLL CALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:0 RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED.

CAL. NO. 35,170 -BY: COUNCILMEMBERGREEN(BY REQUEST)

-AnOrdinance authorizing the Mayor of the City of New Orleans to enter into aCooperative Endeavor Agreement between the City of New Orleans (the “City”) and DesireCommunity Housing Corporation, with a term greater than one year,for the public purpose of providing economic development and improving health outcomes and public safety in the DesireNeighborhood through completion of construction on the Desire Squaresite, which will include space for ahealth clinic, pharmacy,grocery store,and non-profitoffices as well as a30-year police substation lease onsite, as morefully detailed in the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement form Exhibit “A”; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

ROLL CALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:0

RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED.

CAL. NO. 35,176 -BY: COUNCILMEMBERS HARRIS AND GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST) -AnOrdinance authorizing the Mayor of the City of New Orleans to enter into aCooperative Endeavor Agreement between the City of New Orleans (the “City”), the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission(the “NORD”), and Friends of Lafitte Corridor,Inc., doing business as, Lafitte Greenway Partnership, (the “LGP”), for aterm greater than one year,for the public purpose of maximizing the Lafitte Greenway for public recreational use and enjoyment in the City of New Orleans, as morefully detailed in the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement form Exhibit “A”; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

ROLLCALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Morrell, Thomas -6

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:Moreno -1

RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED.

CAL. NO. 35,178 -BY: COUNCILMEMBERKING (BY REQUEST) -An Ordinance to authorize the Mayor of the City of New Orleans to enter into Amendment No. 1toapreviously executed Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (“CEA”) between the City of New Orleans (the “City”), and Heroes of New Orleans (“HONO”), relative to supporting education, health, and wellness as it relates to the City’schildren, youth, and families to modify the provisions thereof and extend the term thereof for an additional 2years and 5months, as morefully set forth in the Amendment No. 1form Exhibit “A” and made apart hereof; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

ROLL CALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Morrell, Thomas -6

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:Moreno -1

RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED. MOTIONS/RESOLUTIONS (LYING OVER)

NO.

M-25-360 CITY HALL: June 26, 2025

BY:COUNCILMEMBER KING Approving the applicant’srequest for theproperty located at 617 Canal Street, Units 201, 301 and 401.

WITHDRAWN. NO. M-25-411 CITY HALL: July 24, 2025 BY:COUNCILMEMBER MORRELL SECONDED BY:COUNCILMEMBERHARRIS

WHEREAS, The City Councilhas adopted rules and regulations governing “its officers and employees, the organization of committees, and the transaction of its business,” as required by Section 3-107(2) of the New Orleans Home Rule Charter;

Office is directed and granted the

exibilitytomake allappropriate formatting and numbering changes to the

Councilstaffare

ect the foregoing change.

AUGUST 7, 2025 THE FOREGOING MOTION WASREAD IN FULL, THE ROLL WASCALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF,THE RESULTWAS AS FOLLOWS:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Harris, Moreno, Morrell -4

NAYS: Green, Thomas -2

ABSENT: King - 1 AND THE MOTIONWAS ADOPTED.

MOTIONS/RESOLUTIONS

NO. M-25-419 BY:COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS (BY REQUEST)

SECONDED BY:COUNCILMEMBER MORRELL

BE IT MOVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That the Mayor’sappointment of Leo John Arnett (vice Adrienne Dixson [representing New Orleans Business Alliance]) as amember of the Central Business District HistoricDistrict Landmarks Commission (representing Greater New Orleans, Inc.), effective upon approval by the Councilofthe City of New Orleans, for aterm that will expireonJune 30, 2026, be, and the same is hereby ratified, confirmed, and approved.

BE IT FURTHER MOVED, That the Clerk of Councilshall immediately provide acertified copy of this motion to Leo John Arnett, the Central Business District HistoricDistrict Landmarks Commission, the Law Department, and the Mayor’sOffice of Intergovernmental Affairs.

THE FOREGOING MOTION WASREAD IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS CALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF,AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0

ABSENT: 0 AND THE MOTION WASADOPTED.

NO. M-25-420

BY:COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO

SECONDED BY:COUNCILMEMBER MORRELL

BE IT MOVED BY THE COUNCILOFTHE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That the appointment of Linda Landesberg(fulfillinga vacancy), nominee of the District Acouncilmember,asa member of the Fairgrounds Citizen Advisory Committee, effective upon approval by the Councilofthe City of New Orleans, to serve aterm ending on June 30, 2029, be, and the same is hereby ratified, confirmed, and approved.

BE IT FURTHER MOVED, That the Clerk of Councilshall immediately provide acertified copy of this motion to Linda Landesberg, the Fairgrounds Citizen Advisory Committee, the Law Department, and the Mayor’sOffice of Intergovernmental Affairs.

THE FOREGOING MOTION WASREAD IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS CALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF,AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 AND THE MOTION WASADOPTED. NO. M-25-421

BY:COUNCILMEMBER KING (BY REQUEST)

SECONDED BY:COUNCILMEMBER MORRELL BE IT MOVED BY THE COUNCILOFTHE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That the Mayor’sappointment of Kimberly Thomas (vice Maurice Sholas) as amember of the Sewerage and Water Board(representing District C), effective upon approval by the Councilofthe City of New Orleans, for a term that will expireonJune 30, 2029, be, and the same is hereby ratified, confirmed, and approved.

BE IT FURTHER MOVED, That the Clerk of Councilshall immediately provide acertified copy of this motion to KimberlyThomas, the Sewerage and Water Board, the Law Department, and the Mayor’sOffice of Intergovernmental Affairs. THE FOREGOING MOTION WASREAD IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS CALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF,AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 AND THE MOTION WASADOPTED. NO. R-25-422

BY:COUNCILMEMBERSMORRELL, MORENO, KING, GIARRUSSO, HARRIS, GREEN AND THOMAS

Resolution stating that the Police Department recognize the importance of and utilize community engagement to better inform how the department enforces policies and requirements impacting second-line parades and our residents of New Orleans. WITHDRAWN. NO. M-25-423 BY:COUNCILMEMBER GREEN

SECONDED BY:COUNCILMEMBER THOMAS

BE IT MOVED BY THE COUNCILOFTHE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS,

That, having received the City Planning Commission’sreport and recommendationofapproval regarding ZONINGDOCKET 34/25, initiated by GREGORYJ.WILLIAMS, requesting an amendment to Ordinance No. 25,560 MCS(Zoning Docket 039/13) to permitthe expansion of a reception facility in an S-B1 Suburban Neighborhood Business District, on Square2316, Lot X1, in the ThirdMunicipal District, bounded by Sere Street, Gibson Street, DuplessisStreet, and LafreniereStreet(Municipal Address: 1484 SereStreet), is hereby APPROVED, subject to the four provisos recommended by the City Planning Commission. BE IT FURTHER MOVED, That the Clerk of Councilisdirected to forward copies of this motion to the Law Department, which is directed to prepare an ordinance to effectuate this motion and is granted flexibility to make any changes necessary to achieve the will of the Councilasset forth in this motion. THE FOREGOINGMOTION WASREAD IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS CALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF,AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Morrell, Thomas -6 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: Moreno -1 RECUSED: 0 AND THE MOTIONWAS ADOPTED. NO. M-25-424

BY:COUNCILMEMBER MORENO(BY REQUEST)

SECONDED BY:COUNCILMEMBER MORRELL

WHEREAS, Section 70-10 of the Code of the City of New Orleans requires that certaincontracts providing for the aggregate expenditureofmore than $1,000,000.00 in city funds during the initial term and all allowable renewal terms or having an initial term of morethan one year or providing for legal services must be signed by the President of the City Council; and WHEREAS, Section 70-10 further provides that the President of the City Council shall not execute any such contract unless authorized to do so by Councilmotion; and WHEREAS, The City of NewOrleans, and Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Corp.,desiretoenter into acontract to provide legal counsel as amatter of right to counsel services to Orleans Parish tenants facing eviction, the total compensation being $2,312,500.00; NOW THEREFORE BE IT MOVED BY THE COUNCILOFTHE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That the President of the Councilshall be added as asignatory to the Amendment No. 1between the City of New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Corp.;and

BE IT FURTHER MOVED, That the President of the Councilishereby authorized to sign the Amendment No. 1between the City of New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana Legal Services Corp.,asattached hereto as ExhibitA;and BE IT FURTHER MOVED, That the Clerk of Councilshall forwardcopies of this motion, including ExhibitA,tothe City Attorney’sOffice to effectuate this request. THE FOREGOINGMOTION WASREAD IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS CALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF,AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 AND THE MOTION WASADOPTED.

**Copies of the attachment may be seen in full in the Clerk of Council’s Office, 1300 Perdido Street, Room 1E09, City Hall. NO. R-25-425 (AS CORRECTED) BY:COUNCILMEMBERSGIARRUSSO,MORRELL, THOMAS, MORENO,HARRIS, KING AND GREEN

ARESOLUTION calling aspecial election for aBOND PROPOSITION for AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS for Saturday,November 15, 2025, in the City of New Orleans. WHEREAS,pursuant to the Constitution of the State of Louisiana of 1974, the applicableprovisions of the Louisiana Election Code, and other constitutional and statutory authority,the City Councilisasking the voters in the City to consider the approval of the incurring of debt and issuance of bonds in the City of New Orleans as detailed in Section 1hereinbelow; and WHEREAS,the City Councildesires to put this issue beforethe voters at an election to be held on Saturday,November 15, 2025; and WHEREAS,pursuant to La. R.S. 42:19.1, on July 10, 2025, the City Counciladopted

FOREGOING RESOLUTION WASREAD IN FULL, THE ROLL WASCALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF,AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS: YEAS:Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7 NAYS: 0 ABSENT:0 AND THE RESOLUTION WASADOPTED. EXHIBIT “A” (AS CORRECTED)

NOTICE OF SPECIAL ELECTION

Pursuant to the provisions of Resolution R-25-425, adopted by the City Council of New Orleans (the “Council”) on August 7, 2025 (the “Resolution”), NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that an election will be held in New Orleans on Saturday,November 15, 2025, and that at said special election therewill be submitted to all registered voters residing in the

NO. R-25-426 (AS CORRECTED) BY:COUNCILMEMBERS GIARRUSSO, MORRELL, THOMAS MORENO, HARRIS,KING AND GREEN ARESOLUTION calling aspecial election for a BOND PROPOSITION for DRAINAGE AND STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PROJECTS for Saturday,November 15, 2025, in the

of

Orleans. WHEREAS,pursuant to the Constitution of the

of Louisiana of 1974, the

provisions of the

Election Code, and other constitutional and

Council is asking the voters in

of

of the

to

and issuance of bonds in the City of New Orleans as detailed in Section 1hereinbelow; and WHEREAS,the City Council desires to put this issue beforethe voters at an election to be held on Saturday,November 15, 2025; and WHEREAS,pursuant to La. R.S.

& CONTRACTS” Onceonthe SupplierPor‐tal,search“Open Events. Thankyou foryourinter‐est in doingbusiness withthe City of NewOr‐leans JamesC.Simmons,Jr. ChiefProcurement Officer

AdvertisingDates: September29, October 6 and13, 2025 NOCP 8670 160424-sept 29-oct6-133t $109.32

913, 914, 988-63 TheCityofNew Orleans stronglyencouragesmi‐nority-ownedand women-ownedbusi‐nesses, sociallyand eco‐nomically disadvantaged businessesand small businessestorespond to thissolicitation, or to participate in subcon‐tractingopportunities pursuanttothissolicita‐tion. Formoreinformation about this sourcing event,goto www.nola. govand clickon“BRASS Supplier

& PUBLIC NOTICE ADVERTISEMENTTO INVITATION TO BID CITY OF NEWORLEANS

COMMODITY CODE(s): 255

TheCityofNew Orleans strongly encourages mi‐nority-owned and women-ownedbusi‐nesses, socially andeco‐nomicallydisadvantaged businessesand small businessestorespond to this solicitation,orto participateinsubcon‐tracting opportunities pursuant to this solicita‐tion

Formoreinformation aboutthissourcing event, go to www.nola. govand clickon“BRASS SupplierPortal” under “BIDS& CONTRACTS” Once on theSupplierPor‐tal, search “Open Events.” Thankyou foryourinter‐estindoing business with theCityofNew Or‐leans.

JamesSimmons,Jr. ChiefProcurement Officer

AdvertisingDates: September22, 29 andOctober 6, 2025 NOCP 8647 159456-sept 22-29-oct63t $127.50

g y code(s) beforethere‐leaseofthe sourcing event: COMMODITY CODE(s): 911, 912, 913, 914 TheCityofNew Orleans strongly encourages mi‐nority-owned and women-ownedbusi‐nesses, socially andeco‐nomicallydisadvantaged businessesand small businessestorespond to this solicitation,orto participateinsubcon‐tracting opportunities pursuant to this solicita‐tion Formoreinformation aboutthissourcing event, go to www.nola. govand clickon“BRASS SupplierPortal” under “BIDS& CONTRACTS” Once on theSupplierPor‐tal, search “Open Events.” Thankyou foryourinter‐estindoing business with theCityofNew Or‐leans.

JamesC.Simmons,Jr. ChiefProcurement Officer

AdvertisingDates: September22, 29, andOctober 6, 2025 NOCP 8649 159474-sept 22-29-oct63t $108.30

g theCity’s supplier portal If this solicitation is fed‐erally funded,prospec‐tive bidder/respondent must payparticularat‐tentiontoall applicable laws andregulations of theFederal government andthe Stateof Louisiana. TheBureauofPurchas‐ingusescommodity codestonotifysuppliers of therelease of asourc‐ingevent andsubse‐quentmodificationsvia addendum. Note that you wouldreceive thosenoti‐ficationsifyou selected thefollowing commodity code(s) before there‐leaseofthe sourcing event: COMMODITY CODE(s): 060 TheCityofNew Orleans strongly encourages mi‐nority-owned and women-ownedbusi‐nesses, socially andeco‐nomicallydisadvantaged businessesand small businessestorespond to this solicitation,orto participateinsubcon‐tracting opportunities pursuant to this solicita‐tion Formoreinformation aboutthissourcing event, go to www.nola. govand clickon“BRASS SupplierPortal” under “BIDS& CONTRACTS” Once on theSupplierPor‐tal, search “Open Events.” Thankyou foryourinter‐estindoing business with theCityofNew Or‐leans. JamesSimmons,Jr. ChiefProcurement Officer

AdvertisingDates: September22, 29 and October6,2025 NOCP 8648 159462-sept 22-29-oct63t $126.48

PRE-BIDCONFERENCE: OCTOBER6,2025 @1:30P.M OR TEAMS: MeetingID: 235 873 815 120 5 Passcode:zV6CP7h6

Datesare subjectto changesvia an adden‐dumpostedbythe Bu‐reau of Purchasing on theCity’ssupplierportal.

If this solicitation is fed‐erally funded,prospec‐tive bidder/respondent must payparticularat‐tentiontoall applicable laws andregulations of theFederal government andthe Stateof Louisiana.

TheBureauofPurchas‐ingusescommodity codestonotifysuppliers of therelease of asourc‐ingevent andsubse‐quentmodificationsvia addendum. Note that you wouldreceive thosenoti‐ficationsifyou selected thefollowing commodity code(s) before there‐leaseofthe sourcing event: COMMODITYCODE(s): 948-48, 958-56 TheCityofNew Orleans strongly encourages mi‐nority-owned and women-owned busi‐nesses, socially andeco‐nomicallydisadvantaged businessesand small businessestorespond to this solicitation,orto participateinsubcon‐tracting opportunities pursuant to this solicita‐tion Formoreinformation aboutthissourcing event, go to www.nola. govand clickon“BRASS SupplierPortal” under “BIDS& CONTRACTS” Once on theSupplierPor‐tal, search “Open Events.” Thankyou foryourinter‐estindoing business with theCityofNew Or‐leans.

JAMESC.SIMMONS,JR. CHIEFPROCUREMENT OFFICER

AdvertisingDates: September24and September29, 2025 NOCP 8654 159846-sept 24-oct1-2t $79.62

4544 TYPE OF SOLICITATION: PROFESSIONALSERVICES DBEOPPORTUNITY: WAIVED RELEASED ON: SEPTEMBER24, 2025 DEADLINE TO RESPOND: OCTOBER13, 2025 @4:00P.M PRE-BIDCONFERENCE: OCTOBER6,2025 @1:30P.M OR TEAMS: MeetingID: 235 873 815 120 5 Passcode:zV6CP7h6