The Acadiana Advocate 02-07-2025 by The Advocate

Lafayette drainage project gets permit

Corps of Engineers

OKs controversial detention ponds work

BY MEGAN WYATT Staff writer

Lafayette Consolidated Government has finally received a federal permit for a controversial drainage project spearheaded by former Mayor-President Josh Guillory

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit last week to LCG for the Homewood Detention Ponds project near Milton Lafay-

ette ofﬁcials did not obtain the required permit before beginning work on the project three years ago.

Mayor-President Monique Boulet halted work on the project when she took office in January 2024 in an effort to reestablish credibility with the Corps of Engineers and the state funding agencies that refused to reimburse the city-parish for the work done on multiple drainage projects without the proper permits.

In November, LCG recouped $6.1 million from the state for work performed in 2022 on the Homewood Detention Ponds and the Coulee Ile des Cannes Deten-

tion Ponds project near Scott. It was the ﬁrst portion of $27 million worth of state reimbursements that were withheld. Boulet said her administration continues to ﬁght for the remaining funds.

Boulet said a public meeting will be held in March to review recommendations from engineers about how to complete the Homewood project, which will connect existing detention ponds to the Vermilion River There is about $8 million in state capital outlay funds remaining to complete both projects.

“We’ve worked with a couple of different engineers and really want

ä See DRAINAGE, page 4A

HORSE SHOW

La. ﬁnds new leverage in overdetention suit

Civil rights litigation freeze by Trump may prove helpful

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

A freeze on certain civil rights litigation under President Donald Trump has empowered state Attorney General Liz Murrill to ﬁght a federal effort to keep Louisiana from imprisoning inmates for longer than their sentences

The scope of the freeze and whether the U.S. Depart-

ment of Justice will seek to drop any lawsuits under Trump remains unclear

But Murrill, Louisiana’s attorney general, argues the department should reconsider the new lawsuit, which was ﬁled by the Department of Justice in December under President Joe Biden and accuses Louisiana of systematically holding prisoners past their release dates. Over the past decade, the state has at times acknowledged that its system for calculating release dates is ﬂawed and outdated. At other times, it

Landry says task force meetings will be secret

Panel studying government spending

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

are state legislators, it is planning to spend tax dollars to hire outside consultants and is meeting in government buildings. The public will learn about its work when the group, known as the Fiscal Responsibility Program, issues a report by the end of the year Landry said. Transparency-in-government experts say the governor should open up the meetings.

“I think the law is pretty clear on this one,” said Steve Procopio, president of the Public Affairs Research Council, a Baton

PHOTO By ROBIN MAy

The Budweiser Clydesdales marched through downtown Lafayette on Wednesday, stopping at local bars and restaurants for photos. They will

appearances throughout Lafayette for the rest of the week. More photos, Page 1B

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Gov. Jeff Landry speaks at a Louisiana showcase event in New Orleans on Thursday.

STAFF FILE

PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK

Work on the Homewood Drive detention pond project was halted by Lafayette Consolidated Government in 2024.

100,000 eggs stolen in Pennsylvania trailer heist

ANTRIM TOWNSHIP Pa The heist of 100,000 eggs from the back of a trailer in Pennsylvania has become a whodunit that police have yet to crack.

Four days after the theft that law enforcement say could be tied to the sky-high cost of eggs, no leads have come in, Trooper First Class Megan Frazer, a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania State Police, said Wednesday Police are also following up with any possible witnesses and looking into surveillance footage that could help them identify the perpetrator as they race to solve the mystery “In my career, I’ve never heard of a hundred thousand eggs being stolen. This is deﬁnitely unique,” said Frazer who has a dozen years on the job.

Bird ﬂu is forcing farmers to slaughter millions of chickens a month, pushing U.S. egg prices to more than double their cost in the summer of 2023. And it appears there may be no relief in sight with Easter approaching.

The 100,000 eggs were snatched from the back of Pete & Gerry’s Organics’ distribution trailer on Saturday, according to police. They are worth about $40,000, which means this crime is a felony, Frazer said.

Sister pleads guilty to twin-swapping scheme

One of the twins involved in a deadly Amish buggy crash in Minnesota has admitted that she tried to dupe law enforcement into thinking she was the one driving at the time, not her identical sister

The devastating collision unfolded the morning of Sept 25, 2023, when an SUV plowed into a horse-drawn buggy on southbound County Road 1 in rural Stewartville, Fox 9 reported. The buggy was carrying four children to school at the time, including 7-year-old Wilma Miller and 11-year-old Irma Miller, who were both killed in the crash

Sarah Beth Peterson was still on the scene when ofﬁcers arrived around 8:30 a.m., and she did her best to convince them she’d been behind the wheel of the SUV which belonged to her twin sister, Samantha Jo Peterson. According to a criminal complaint obtained by KSTP, the women at one point were caught on a deputy’s digital recorder, seemingly discussing their efforts to trick police, and their scheme quickly unraveled from there.

“I think that one of the guys is on to me, but I don’t really care,” Sarah allegedly said. She later added there was “no way they would ever know the difference between the two of us so they can’t tell,” per the complaint. Police have since said Samantha was on her way home from work and that she was high on meth when the crash occurred. In its aftermath, she also allegedly used her phone to search phrases including “What happens if you get in an accident with an Amish buggy and kill two people,” “how to lock an iPhone cops have,” and “if you hit a buggy and kill two people are you going to prison?”

What’s more, a witness described the driver as wearing a T-shirt Samantha had been wearing.

Her sister, Sarah, on Tuesday pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting criminal vehicular operation.

She was initially facing 16 charges — all of them suggesting she tried to conceal or take responsibility for her twin’s criminal acts — but copped to just two of them as part of a plea agreement. In exchange, prosecutors will recommend that she spend no more than six months behind bars and get four years probation.

The deal does not however, require her to testify against Samantha, who is still facing 17 felonies, including criminal vehicular homicide, criminal vehicular operation, driving under the inﬂuence, failure to provide proof of insurance, careless driving and speeding. She is due in court on June 10 for a pretrial conference and her trial is scheduled to start July 14. Sarah, meanwhile, is due to be sentenced next month.

Egypt opposes plan to empty out Gaza

Israel says it has begun preparations

BY SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

CAIRO Israel says it has begun preparations for the departure of Palestinians from Gaza despite international rejection of President Donald Trump’s plan to empty the territory of its population. Egypt has launched a diplomatic blitz behind the scenes against the proposal, warning it would put its peace deal with Israel at risk, ofﬁcials said.

The Trump administration has already dialed back aspects of the proposal after it was widely rejected internationally, saying the relocation of Palestinians would be temporary U.S. ofﬁcials have provided few details about how or when the plan would be carried out.

In a social media post on Thursday, Trump said Israel would turn Gaza over to the United States after the war and that no U.S. soldiers would be needed for his plan to redevelop it.

The Palestinians have vehemently rejected Trump’s proposal, fearing that Israel would never allow refugees to return. Egypt has warned that an expulsion of Palestinians would destabilize the region and undermine its peace treaty with Israel a cornerstone of stability and American inﬂuence for decades.

Saudi Arabia, another key U.S. ally, has also rejected any mass transfer of Palestinians and says it will not normalize relations with Israel a key goal of the Trump administration — without the creation of a Palestinian state that includes Gaza.

Trump and Israeli officials have depicted the proposed relocation from war-ravaged Gaza as voluntary, but the Palestinians have universally expressed their determination to remain in their homeland.

Trump and Israeli ofﬁcials have not said how they would respond if Palestinians refuse to leave. But Human Rights Watch and other groups say the plan, if implemented, would amount to “ethnic cleansing,” the forcible relocation of the civilian population of an ethnic group from a geographic area.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday that he has ordered the military to make preparations to facilitate the emigration of large numbers of Palestinians from Gaza through land crossings as well as “special arrangements for exit by sea and air.”

There were no immediate signs of such preparations on the ground.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has not publicly responded to Trump’s stunning proposal that most of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million Palestinians be relocated and the United States take charge of rebuilding the territory.

Israel’s 15-month campaign against the militant Hamas group had reduced large parts of Gaza to rubble before a fragile ceaseﬁre took hold last month.

But in a statement Thursday, the Egyptian government rejected efforts to move Palestinians from Gaza as a “blatant violation” of international law that could undercut ceaseﬁre talks and threaten Middle East relations.

Hamas, which still rules most of Gaza, has repeatedly condemned Trump’s proposal. On Thursday it said that any U.S. takeover of Gaza would be considered an occupation, implying that the militant group would respond with armed resistance. The group has yet to draw any connection between its objections to Trump’s proposal and the ongoing ceaseﬁre. It’s unclear if it will have any impact on the next release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, set for Saturday

Music executive who created Murder Inc. dies

By The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Irv Gotti, the boisterous, smiley music mogul who founded Murder Inc. Records and was behind major hip-hop and R&B artists, has died He was 54. Def Jam Recordings, which was the parent company of Murder Inc., announced Gotti’s death in a statement late Wednesday night It did not give a cause of death

by Jay-Z, Amil and Ja Rule, and DMX’s

“We Don’t Give A (expletive)” with Jadakiss and Sheek Louch. Gotti earned a Grammy in 2004 for best R&B song for Ashanti’s “Rock Wit U (Awww Baby).”

The label, which got its name after Gotti watched a documentary on the original Murder, Inc. crew of mob hitmen, once came under investigation for allegedly laundering drug money for a notorious crack kingpin, leading to criminal charges against Gotti. He was eventually acquitted.

Swedish police say mass shooter had tie to school

BY ALEKSANDAR FURTULA, SERGEI GRITS and STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press

OREBRO, Sweden The shooter who earlier this week killed 10 people in Sweden’s worst mass shooting was connected to the adult education center where he opened fire with at least one rifle-like weapon, law enforcement officials said Thursday Authorities said the gunman, who has not yet been officially identified, may have attended school there before Tuesday’s violence on the school campus west of Stockholm. The shooter was later found dead with three guns, 10 empty magazines and a large amount of unused ammunition next to his body, officials told a news conference.

The school, Campus Risbergska, offers primary and secondary educational classes for adults age 20 and older, Swedish-language classes for immigrants, vocational training, and programs for people with intellectual disabilities. It is on the outskirts of Orebro, about 125 miles from Stockholm.

Some 130 ofﬁcers arrived Tuesday after alarms summoned them to the school to find chaos across the campus. They described the scene as an “inferno” and believe the gunman turned his weapon toward them as they entered the

building. “Dead people, injured people, screams and smoke,” local police chief Lars Wirén said during the news conference. “Many people running inside and outside the premises.”

Officers found at least five people, all over age 18 with serious gunshot wounds. Two of them remained in intensive care Thursday in serious but stable condition. The other three were in stable condition after surgery A sixth person was treated for minor injuries. Investigators had not uncovered a deﬁnitive motive behind the bloodshed by Thursday Police said there were no warnings beforehand, and they believe the perpetrator acted alone.

In Orebro, a town of 160,000 that’s considered Sweden’s seventh-largest municipality Thursday brought more sadness but still few answers.

“It has been two days of shock and grief,” John Johansson, chairman of the town’s municipal board, told The Associated Press. “We are still asking questions of why, still wondering what has happened The outpouring of grief and togetherness has been enormous.”

King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, as well as Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, visited Orebro on Wednesday and attended a memorial service.

Gotti, whose real name was Irving Lorenzo, created the iconic hip-hop and R&B imprint with his brother in the late 1990s, with the label gaining worldwide prominence through platinum-selling artists Ashanti and Ja Rule. Gotti also worked with some of rap’s most legendary artists like Jay-Z, Nas and DMX, among other huge names in the genre.

“His creative genius and unwavering dedication to the culture birthed countless hits, deﬁning an era of music that continues to resonate with fans worldwide,” the statement from Def Jam read. Murder Inc.’s blazing run in the early 2000s produced some of music’s biggest crossover records, usually involving his two biggest stars, like Ja Rule and Ashanti’s “Always On Time,” “I’m Real” by Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule, “Foolish” by Ashanti and “What’s Luv” by Fat Joe featuring Ja Rule and Ashanti.

Gotti also produced “Can I Get A ”

The bad press around the investigation led to Gotti dropping the word “Murder” from the title of the label to change its name to The Inc.

“All of these big records, and people would still come back and focus on the negative word ‘murder,’” he said when he announced the change.

Still, Gotti never changed the nickname he shared with the late Gambino family boss John Gotti, which he said was given to him by Jay-Z.

“I ain’t going to change it,” he said of his name.

Along with his hitmaking and music prowess, Gotti was known for his involvement in one of hip-hop’s most notorious beefs between 50 Cent and Ja Rule.

The long-standing feud began more than 25 years ago and resulted in dis records and at least one physical confrontation. It was never resolved.

In more recent years, Gotti drew criticism from music fans for speaking about an alleged relationship with Ashanti in interviews, a claim that she has denied.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABDEL KAREEM HANA

Mohammad Naser sits by a fire Thursday as he takes cover from the rain under the rubble of his house, whose destruction was caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip

the scene of a shooting in Orebro, Sweden.

Gotti

Judge blocks Trump’s plan to push out federal workers

honor its side of the deal.

BY CHRIS MEGERIAN, COLLIN BINKLEY and BYRON TAU Associated Press

WASHINGTON A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s plan to push out federal workers by offering them financial incentives, the latest tumult for government employees already wrestling with upheaval from the new administration.

The ruling came hours before the midnight deadline to apply for the deferred resignation program, which was orchestrated by Trump adviser Elon Musk.

Labor unions said the plan was illegal, and U.S. District Judge George O’Toole Jr in Boston paused its implementation until after he could hear arguments from both sides at a court hearing scheduled for Monday afternoon. He directed the administration to extend the deadline until then.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said 40,000 workers have already signed up to leave their jobs while being paid until Sept 30. She described federal employees who have been working remotely as lazy, saying “they don’t want to come into the ofﬁce” and “if they want to rip the American people off, then they’re welcome to take this buyout.”

A federal worker in Colorado, who like others spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retribution, said the insults directed at the government workforce by members of the Trump administration have been demoralizing for those who provide public services.

She said the judge’s decision bolstered suspicions echoed by people who work across various departments and agencies, that the de-

ferred resignation program was legally questionable.

Another worker in the Pacific Northwest decided to take the offer on Thursday even after the judge’s decision. She hopes to use the opportunity to move overseas. But even if the money never comes, she still wants out

She’s unwilling to comply with administration policies such as eliminating diversity initiatives, and she worries that the situation will only get worse for people who stay

The worker said she opened her laptop, sent her resignation email, and closed it again.

Dems’, unions’ warnings

The administration has been ramping up its pressure on employees to leave, sending a reminder on Wednesday that layoffs or furloughs could come next.

“The majority of federal agencies are likely to be downsized through restructurings, realignments, and reductions in force,” said the message from the Ofﬁce of Personnel Management, which has been a nexus of Musk’s efforts to downsize the government.

The email said anyone who remains will be expected to be “loyal” and “will be subject to enhanced standards of suitability and conduct as we move forward.” Some employees could be reclassiﬁed to limit civil service protections as well. “Employees who engage in unlawful behavior or other misconduct will be prioritized for appropriate investigation and discipline, including termination,” the email said.

Democrats and union leaders have said workers shouldn’t accept the deferred resignation program because it wasn’t authorized by Congress, raising the risk they won’t get paid.

“It’s a scam and not a buyout,” said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees.

An employee at the Department of Education, who also spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation, said the administration appeared desperate to get people to sign the agreement. However, she said there were too many red flags, such as a clause waiving the right to sue if the government failed to

Deal is ‘what it looks like’

Trump put Musk, the world’s richest man, in charge of the so-called Department of Government Efﬁciency, or DOGE, which is a sweeping initiative to reduce the size and scope of the federal government.

Trump administration officials organized questionand-answer sessions with employees as the Thursday deadline approached.

“I know there’s been a lot of questions out there about whether it’s real and whether it’s a trick,” said Rachel Oglesby, the chief of staff at the Department of Education. “And it’s exactly what it looks like. It’s one of the many tools that he’s using to try to achieve the campaign promise to bring reform to the civil service and changes to D.C.”

The Associated Press ob-

tained a recording of the meeting, as well as a separate one held for Department of Agriculture employees.

Marlon Taubenheim, a human resources official with the Agriculture Department, acknowledged that “these are very trying times” and “there’s a lot of stress.”

“Unfortunately, we don’t have all the answers,” he said.

Some federal workers said they did not trust the validity of the offers, doubting that Trump has the authority to disburse money. Others point to his record of stifﬁng contractors as a New York real estate mogul.

Demonstrations in D.C.

Scattered protests have sprung up outside federal buildings, including on Tuesday at the Ofﬁce of Personnel Management.

Dante O’Hara, who works for the government, said if more people don’t speak up, “we’re all going to lose our jobs and they’re going to put all these loyalists or people that will be their shock troops.”

Government jobs have often been considered secure positions, but O’Hara said there’s fear in the workforce. The sense from his colleagues is “I don’t know if I’m going to be here tomorrow because, like, we don’t know what’s going to happen.’”

Dan Smith, a Maryland resident whose father was a research scientist at the Department of Agriculture, said federal workers are “so underappreciated and so taken for granted.”

“It’s one thing to downsize the government It’s one thing to try to

Trump AG Bondi supports tougher abortion pill rules

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

Days after Louisiana prosecu-

tors indicted a New York doctor for shipping abortion medication over state lines, President Donald Trump’s newly appointed attorney general said she would “love to work with” a district attorney campaigning for tougher federal penalties on people who mail those pills to states with abortion bans.

During a meeting with Gov Jeff Landry and law enforcement ofﬁcials, Attorney General Pam Bondi

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has resisted interventions and disputed those claims.

Murrill has slammed the recent lawsuit and vowed to ﬁght it. In a statement Wednesday, she said there were “defects and misrepresentations” underlying the lawsuit, and that she looks forward to meeting with Justice Department leadership to work toward a “quick and efﬁcient resolution.”

“The Civil Rights Division is under a freeze order regarding new cases, and this is a new case — nothing has happened since the Division ﬁled this lawsuit just days before President Trump’s inauguration and DOJ leadership’s issu-

LANDRY

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Rouge-based think tank.

Melia Cerrato agrees

“We believe that this is a body advising our government, and any public body that has advisory functions must be operated with openness and transparency,” said Cerrato, a First Amendment expert at Tulane’s law school. “This specific task force is going to provide recommendations on crucial issues, including cutting government services and jobs. Citizens have a right to know the deliberations of this group.”

Landry created the Fiscal Responsibility Program through an executive order on Dec. 12.

Answering questions Thursday he did not say why he doesn’t believe the group is subject to the public meetings law, which calls

DRAINAGE

Continued from page 1A

to look at that whole project from a couple of different perspectives and try to set a good path forward that we can afford,” Boulet said “We haven’t solidiﬁed that exact path, but this really does get us one step closer.”

LCG is still awaiting a permit from the Corps of Engineers for the Coulee Iles des Cannes project, which Boulet said is functioning and has alleviated some ﬂooding during heavy rain events.

was asked by Tony Clayton, the West Baton Rouge-area district attorney who obtained charges against the doctor, to seek nationwide “consistency” in laws governing those shipments.

The indictment marks a firstof-its-kind attempt to challenge a Democratic state’s protections for physicians who mail the medications.

Clayton bemoaned how New York Gov Kathy Hochul has vowed to shield Dr Maggie Carpenter from extradition should Carpenter be arrested on a warrant issued by a judge in Louisi-

ance of the freeze order,” she said Wednesday Criminal justice advocates pushed back against Murrill’s statements and praised the Department of Justice’s decision to ﬁle the lawsuit.

This “is a blatant demonstration of the state’s lack of respect for people’s basic rights,” said Kara Crutcher a staff attorney for the Promise of Justice Initiative “These folks aren’t serving sentences. They are simply being held beyond their sentences.”

The Promise of Justice Initiative, an advocacy group based in New Orleans, has its own pending lawsuit related to overdetention in the state.

Holding people past their release dates violates the right to due process under the 14th Amendment

for a wide interpretation of its use.

“This is conceptual,”

Landry said when asked why the group is not meeting publicly “We have regulated ourselves in this country to the point of dysfunction. Law after law after law hinders the ability of government actually to act.”

Told that independent experts believe the law requires open meetings, Landry replied, “I don’t like to worry about what I’m telling people. I like to show people At the end of the day, the citizens of this state are demanding more out of their government for less. This government, the federal government, the things (President) Trump is doing, all we want to do is make sure our tax dollars are spent better and more wisely.”

Transparency and citizen input would help achieve that goal, Procopio said

“Having the public participate is only going to

“The Corps of Engineers has more issues because there’s wetlands involved,” Boulet said. “It was more violations that we had to deal with, but it’s not as complex as Homewood. It’s not as expensive to deal with, but getting it in compliance is the biggest challenge.”

Guillory’s administration used state capital outlay funds, American Rescue Plan Act funds and local funds for the detention pond projects The construction contract with Rigid Constructors covered $60 million in work, but did not require completion of the proj-

ana’s 18th Judicial District.

“We’re gonna need your help,” Clayton told Bondi. “I would like to see some consistency around the country that states just can’t harbor fugitives away from folks down here in Louisiana.”

“I would love to work with you,” Bondi replied. Bondi did not provide speciﬁcs on how she would approach the issue. Any new federal laws must pass through Congress, which is narrowly controlled by Republicans.

Moments after her exchange with Clayton, reporters were

of the Constitution, Crutcher said, adding that the issue should not be “controversial in any way.”

The Department of Justice lawsuit asks the court to order the state to ﬁx conditions found by a multiyear federal investigation.

That investigation found “systemic overdetention” in Louisiana’s prison system, federal ofﬁcials said in December

A 2023 report about the ﬁndings alleged that for a time in 2022, more than one in four inmates were held past their release dates. It also estimated that release date errors cost the state $2.5 million a year

The Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s ofﬁce has repeatedly found that the state corrections department lacks an adequate process to calculate release dates.

strengthen the process,” he said. “They’re looking to make the government more efficient Government affects people all across the state. So you want to try to get their opinion.”

Public bodies have to advertise when and where they will meet, according to state law They also have to allow the public a chance to speak at the meetings and to take minutes that will become publicly available.

“It is essential to the maintenance of a democratic society that public business be performed in an open and public manner and that the citizens be advised of and aware of the performance of public officials and the deliberations and decisions that go into the making of public policy,” states the Louisiana public meetings law “Toward this end, the provisions of this chapter shall be construed liberally.”

The Fiscal Responsibility Program is chaired by

ects. LCG actually paid the contractor and engineers around $75 million.

Auditors later indicated Guillory’s use of $12.5 million in city funds for projects outside of the city was improper, and the parish must pay the city back, possibly with interest.

Boulet’s administration submitted applications to the Corps of Engineers to obtain after-the-fact permits, which are required for the state to release reimbursement funds and for work to continue on the uncompleted Homewood and Ile de Cannes detention pond projects.

asked to exit the meeting at Benson Tower in downtown New Orleans. A spokesperson for Bondi’s ofﬁce did not respond to a phone call and text message seeking clariﬁcation on the Justice Department’s position.

Clayton in a phone interview later declined to say whether he and Bondi had discussed the subject further, but said he is “excited about what she’s about to do” as attorney general. A Democrat, Clayton has emerged nonetheless as a prominent ally of Landry’s since the Republican governor took ofﬁce last year

The agency released its most recent audit in August. The corrections department disputed the ﬁndings.

Trump’s new administration leaves the future of the federal lawsuit uncertain as it attempts to make sweeping changes to the government.

In a memo last month, the Department of Justice told its Civil Rights Division to stop ﬁling any new legal complaints as the government reconsiders Biden-era court actions.

The Department of Justice declined to comment on the lawsuit. It has also indicated that the Trump administration may reevaluate some Biden-era consent decrees with law enforcement agencies.

In such decrees, law enforce-

Steve Orlando, a neighbor of Landry’s in Broussard who owned an offshore supply company and frequently accompanies the governor on ﬁshing trips.

The other members are Sens. Valarie Hodges, RDenham Springs; Blake Miguez, R-New Iberia; Jeremy Stine, R-Lake Charles; Gerald Boudreaux, D-Lafayette; and Reps. Jack McFarland, R-Winnfield; Stephanie Berault, R-Slidell; Phillip Tarver R-Lake Charles; and Adrian Fisher, D-Monroe.

The group has met twice over the past two weeks.

New York is among several states that have since passed or solidiﬁed “shield laws” aimed at protecting medical professionals there against outside sanctions, setting up an interstate clash.

The charges against Carpenter have become a legal and political lightning rod in a fight between conservative and liberal states over abortion access since the U.S Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June of 2022 Providing an abortion, including abortion medication, has been banned in Louisiana ever since.

ment agencies agree to certain reforms that are enforceable by courts.

New Orleans has two major consent decrees, both of which predate Biden’s presidency One decree applies to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce and the other to the New Orleans Police Department.

A judge last month placed the police department into its two-year “sustainment” period, giving the NOPD an exit ramp from federal oversight. The judge, the Department of Justice and the city agreed on the decision.

The consent decree with the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce, now over a decade old, aimed to address ongoing conditions at the Orleans Parish jail.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

At the ﬁrst meeting, held at the Governor’s Mansion, the group heard a presentation from Guidehouse, a Virginia-based consulting firm, on why it should be hired to help ﬁnd ways to reduce unnecessary government spending, said McFarland and Hodges. Cerrato noted that Landry’s executive order calls for public input.

“The issues affect all of us,” Cerrato said. “It’s our tax dollars.”

Jan Moller said the secrecy raises several questions.

“My big concern is who

gets cut and why, and whose agenda is being served by these particular cuts?” said Moller, who heads Invest in Louisiana, a Baton Rouge group that favors policies that beneﬁt low- and middleincome taxpayers. State legislators have said the task force seems modeled after the recent federal Department of Government Efﬁciency created by Trump and headed by Elon Musk. But an aide to the governor said it follows up on work done by Landry to reduce government spending when he was attorney general.

Winter storms bring ‘thunder ice’

BY JOHN RABY Associated Press

CHARLESTON, W.Va Storms

spawned at least one tornado, sent creeks over their banks and caused ﬂash ﬂooding Thursday in portions of West Virginia and Kentucky, while a wintry mix coated trees and roads in ice and even dropped “thunder ice” in several states. Residents and storm spotters in portions of Indiana, southern Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania reported the unusual mix of freezing rain accompanied by flashes of lightning in the unstable air

“You ever seen that?”

Brian Heffner of Spencerville, Ohio, said in a video he posted on Facebook. “I’ve never seen lightning and heard thunder during an ice storm. It’s cool.”

A long line of thunderstorms kept residents awake overnight with hours of heavy rains, flooding neighborhoods and causing accidents where water ponded on some interstate highways. Schools in numerous counties delayed classes or closed Thursday

Trees covered in ice line the

Letter: Musk team has visited weather service

BY JEFF BARKER

The Baltimore Sun (TNS)

Multiple drivers had to be rescued after getting stranded in the ﬂoodwaters, authorities in West Virginia said. And the rescues weren’t limited to humans. The Kanawha-Charleston Humane Association asked the community to adopt or foster 15 dogs after a portion of its shelter began to get ﬂooded.

In south-central Kentucky, the National Weather Service conﬁrmed an EF1 tornado with winds of up to 95 mph tore apart some roofs and scattered debris in Hart County, about an hour south of Louisville. No injuries were immediately reported.

Several inches of rain in Charleston prompted county ofﬁcials to activate an emergency operations center

The storm coated trees and roads in ice in several midAtlantic states before warmer temperatures moved in

by midday Thursday Most areas avoided significant power outages that can accompany accumulating ice on trees and power lines. Forecasts for several inches of snow prompted closures and delays for dozens of school systems in New England. In Maine, more than 200 schools and businesses were closed or shutting early

13 states to sue over DOGE access to payment systems

BY DAVE COLLINS Associated Press

Democratic attorneys general in several states

vowed Thursday to file a lawsuit to stop Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from accessing federal payment systems containing Americans’ sensitive personal information

Thirteen attorneys general, including New York’s Letitia James, said in a statement that they were taking action “in defense of our Constitution, our right to privacy, and the essential funding that individuals and communities nationwide are counting on.”

“As the richest man in the world, Elon Musk is not used to being told ‘no,’ but in our country no one is above the law,” the statement said.

“The President does not have the power to give away our private information to anyone he chooses, and he cannot cut federal payments

approved by Congress.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday afternoon.

Government ofﬁcials and labor unions have been among those raising concerns about DOGE’s involvement with the payment system for the federal government, saying it could lead to security risks or missed payments for programs such as Social Security and Medicare.

Also Thursday, a federal judge ordered that two Musk allies have “read only” access to Treasury Department payment systems, but no one else will get access for now, including Musk himself. The ruling came in a lawsuit ﬁled by federal workers unions trying to stop DOGE from following through on what they call a massive privacy invasion. It was not immediately clear when the Democratic attorneys general will file

their lawsuit.

Joining James in the statement were the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont. President Donald Trump tapped Musk to shrink the size of the U.S. government.

Democrats have criticized the tech billionaire’s maneuvers, which include the hostile seizure of taxpayer data and the apparent closure of the government’s leading international humanitarian aid agency

DOGE recently gained access to sensitive payment data within the Treasury Department after Treasury’s acting Deputy Secretary David Lebryk resigned under pressure.

“This level of access for unauthorized individuals is unlawful, unprecedented, and unacceptable,” the attorneys general said. “DOGE has no authority to access

Trump administration plans to slash all but fraction of USAID jobs, officials say

BY ELLEN KNICKMEYER

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration presented a plan Thursday to dramatically cut stafﬁng worldwide for U.S aid projects as part of its dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, leaving fewer than 300 workers out of thousands.

Two current USAID employees and one former senior USAID ofﬁcial told The Associated Press of the administration’s plan, presented to remaining senior ofﬁcials of the agency Thursday They spoke on condition of anonymity amid a Trump administration order barring USAID staffers from talking to anyone outside their agency

The plan would leave fewer than 300 staffers on the job out of what are currently 8,000 direct-hires and contractors. They, along with an unknown number of 5,000 locally hired international staffers abroad, would run the few life-saving programs that the administration says it intends to keep going for the time being. It was not immediately clear whether the reduction to 300 would be permanent or temporary, potentially allowing more workers to return after what the Trump administration says is a review of which aid and development programs it wants to resume.

The Trump administration and Elon Musk have targeted USAID hardest so far in a challenge of the federal governmen.

Representatives of billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efﬁciency “have been visiting” the Maryland-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, according to congressional Democrats who are urging the Trump administration not to gut the weather-reporting agency “Unvetted and unknown DOGE bureaucrats on Musk’s landing team have been visiting NOAA’s headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, which we represent, reportedly with the intent to break up NOAA and move its functions into the Department of the Interior an idea that you explicitly rejected in your Congressional testimony and would require

Congressional approval,” Maryland lawmakers said in a letter Tuesday to Commerce Secretary-designate Howard Lutnick. The letter, obtained by The Baltimore Sun, was led by Rep. Jamie Raskin, whose district includes NOAA, and was signed by all of the Democrats in Maryland’s congressional delegation. NOAA is part of the Commerce Department. According to the Congressional Research Service, it is “the principal federal agency tasked with understanding and predicting changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts.” The letter urged Lutnick, who is awaiting Senate conﬁrmation, to reject gutting NOAA, which it called “the backbone of the nation’s weather-reporting infrastructure.”

this information, which they explicitly sought in order to block critical payments that millions of Americans rely on payments that support health care, childcare, and other essential programs.”

Democratic members of Congress have expressed similar concerns that Musk, an unelected citizen, wields too much power within the U.S. government and states blatantly on his social media platform X that DOGE will shut down payments to organizations.

Musk has made fun of the criticism of DOGE on X while saying it is saving taxpayers millions of dollars.

CUMBERLAND TIMES-NEWS PHOTO By KEN NOLAN

Great Allegheny Passage near Frostburg, Md., on Thursday.

Wall Street finishes mixed on Thursday

Wall Street drifted through mixed trading Thursday as rising fashion and cigarette stocks worked against drops for Ford Motor and Qualcomm.

The S&P 500 rose following healthy gains for stock markets across much of Europe and Asia. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped and the Nasdaq composite gained.

Tapestry, the company behind the Coach and Kate Spade brands, helped lead the market and jumped 12%. It reported stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected after attracting new, younger customers. Tapestry also raised its forecast for revenue and proﬁt growth this ﬁscal year

Philip Morris International, which sells Marlboro cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products around the world, was one of the strongest forces pushing upward on the S&P 500 and rallied 10.9% after reporting a better profit than expected.

OpenAI looks for data center sites

OpenAI is scouring the U.S. for sites to build a network of huge data centers to power its artiﬁcial intelligence technology expanding beyond a ﬂagship Texas location and looking across 16 states, including Louisiana, to accelerate the Stargate project championed by President Donald Trump.

The maker of ChatGPT put out a request for proposals for land, electricity engineers and architects and began visiting locations in Oregon, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin this week.

Trump touted Stargate, a newly formed joint venture between OpenAI, Oracle and Softbank, shortly after returning to the White House last month.

The partnership said it is investing $100 billion and eventually up to $500 billion — to build large-scale data centers and the energy generation needed to further AI development. Trump called the project a “resounding declaration of conﬁdence in America’s potential” under his new administration, though the first project in Abilene, Texas, has been under construction for months.

California’s surge in EV sales has stalled

California’s push to electrify its cars is facing a potentially serious problem: People aren’t buying electric cars fast enough. After three straight years of strong growth, sales have stabilized in California, raising questions about whether the state will fail to meet its groundbreaking mandate banning sales of gaspowered vehicles.

About a quarter — 25.3% of all new cars registered in California in 2024 were zero emissions, just slightly more than 25% in 2023, according to new California Energy Commission data. The ﬂat sales follow several years of rapid growth in 2020, only one in 13 cars sold was zero-emissions. Their share of California’s market is now three times larger than four years ago. But the slowed pace of growth in the market puts the state’s climate and air pollution goals at risk. Under California’s mandate, approved in 2022, 35% of new 2026 car models sold by automakers must be zero emissions

La. agency launches new division

Department initiative includes venture capital firm to invest in local startups

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

Louisiana Economic Development used the Super Bowl spotlight this week to announce the launch of a new state-backed venture fund and a research institute focused on artiﬁcial intelligence.

Officials at the state agency said Thursday they have created a new division called Louisiana Innovation or “LA.IO” for short. The department’s first initiative will be the launch of the Louisiana Growth Fund, a governmentrun venture capital firm that will invest in local startups using federal dollars. LED is also creating the nonprofit Louisiana Institute for Artificial Intelligence, designed to advance research, commercialization and policy related to new technology in the state.

LED said the new division, which will be run by Chief Innovation Ofﬁcer Josh Fleig, will move from LED’s Baton Rouge headquarters into a renovated former welcome center near the State Capitol. The new ofﬁce is expected to open later this year It will house between 40 and 50 of LED’s roughly 170 employees.

The announcements were made to a crowd of about 400 people inside the glitzy “Louisiana NOW Pavilion,” a temporary tent set up in the parking lot of the Hilton Riverside hotel in New Orleans. The pavilion has been used in the week before the Super Bowl to host visiting corporate leaders, to announce a pilot program to have self-driving cars in New Orleans, and as a site for dozens of media interviews that allowed Gov Jeff Landry and other leaders to promote the state.

“While the eyes of the world are on the city and state and corporate America is here, we are highlighting opportunities in our state,”

LED Secretary Susan Bourgeois told the group of local businesspeople and out-of-town visitors on Thursday

$50 million for startups

The Louisiana Growth Fund will make use of $50 million in federal dollars already available to the state from the State Small Business Credit Initiative, a U.S. Treasury-backed program authorized by the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan Act.

If the state maximizes the program’s potential it could receive a total of $113 million to use for investments, loans and other startup and small-business support

To date, the state has partnered with seven private investment funds to provide one-to-one matching dollars for startups. These include Boot64 Ventures, the Idea Village Momentum Fund, Ochsner Ventures, Tulane Ventures, the New Orleans Startup Fund and Propeller — all located in the New Orleans area — and Baton Rouge-based Innovation Catalyst.

Now, LED will be investing directly in startups, which means the state will have equity in those portfolio companies. The state will begin investing later this year, Fleig said. It will require a minimum of one-to-one private match-

ing capital.

John Roberts, a managing partner at Boot64 who attended Thursday’s LED event, said he supports the new program. His fund, he said, just made its 18th investment using the SSBCI matching funds and has written checks for more than $3 million.

One criticism of the state’s SSBCI program has been that there are too many hurdles to getting the money in the hands of entrepreneurs. Fleig said the state has allocated about $25 million to funding partners so far, but only a portion of that money has made it into the hands of entrepreneurs.

The existing SSBCI program will continue, he said, in addition to the new state-run initiative. The growth fund investment amounts are expected to be between $1 million and $5 million.

The SSBCI program investments are considered “seed” capital, so they are considerably smaller New institute

The fledgling Louisiana Institute for Artificial Intelligence is inspired by projects like the Empire AI Institute, a New York consortium of universities and private companies building a research center for artificial intelligence housed at the University of Buffalo. The initiative is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies and a $275 million investment from the state. Fleig said the institute, which is in its infancy is its own nonprofit organization, separate from LED. It has no staff or offices, but Fleig said it was critical that Louisiana press into this area.

“My contact in New York said we’d better hurry because his universities will poach every AI researcher in Louisiana before we have the money to create our own program,” Fleig said. “If we sit on the sidelines, we’ll miss this wave. This is about setting up the right structure so we don’t miss the next industrial revolution.”

First on the institute’s to-do list is providing AI tools to 5,000 small businesses to help them grow and compete. Fleig said LA.IO will start sourcing vendors to do this work soon.

“Louisiana’s challenges are its opportunity,” Fleig said. “Whether it’s energy logistics or health care, we can help solve problems.”

‘A brand and a strategy’

Bourgeois said the new Louisiana Innovation division is a “brand but also a strategy,” showing that Landry is prioritizing building innovative companies.

“If Louisiana is going to keep up with the rest of the nation, and our Southern peers, we have to turbocharge innovation,” she said.

She cited Meta’s planned $10 billion investment in a data center in north Louisiana as a game-changing economic development win, but she said “we can’t count on big tech companies to save us. We have to build companies right here at home and steer our own future.” Fleig said the new division is a “powerfully simple expression of who we are and what we stand for; it’s also where we are and where you can ﬁnd us,” referring to the web address of a new website promoting the state agency’s new division.

The new division will absorb several existing LED departments, including LED Corporation, which helps manage loan and equity programs; the small-business services team; the tech transfer ofﬁce; and Louisiana Entertainment, which invests in homegrown content creators. LA.IO’s goal is to build startups on top of the state’s asset industries, including transportation, agriculture, oil and gas, and hospitality Fleig said LED will be partnering with startup accelerators, entrepreneurial support organizations, health care systems, universities and more to provide “coaching, capital and connections” to entrepreneurs.

Honeywell to be split into three companies

Firm is among last U.S. industrial conglomerates

BY MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP business writer

Honeywell, one of the last remaining U.S. industrial conglomerates, will split into three independent companies, following in the footsteps of manufacturing giants like General Electric and Alcoa. The company said Thursday that it will separate from its automation and aerospace technologies businesses. Including plans announced

earlier to spin off its advanced materials business, Honeywell will consist of three smaller entities in hopes that they will each be more agile.

“The formation of three independent, industry-leading companies builds on the powerful foundation we have created, positioning each to pursue tailored growth strategies, and unlock signiﬁcant value for shareholders and customers,” Honeywell Chairman and CEO Vimal Kapur said in a statement. Honeywell had said in December that it was considering spinning off its aerospace division. The public announcement arrived about one month after Elliott Investment Management revealed a stake of

more than $5 billion in the aerospace, automation and materials company Elliott had been pushing for the Charlotte, North Carolina, company to separate its automation and aerospace businesses.

The company has chemical plants in Baton Rouge, Geismar and Shreveport.

The board of Honeywell International Inc. had been exploring strategic options for the company since earlier in 2024.

The company which makes everything from eye solution to barcode readers, has been seeking ways to make itself more nimble.

Over the past year and a half, just after Kapur took over as CEO, Honeywell has announced plans for the

advanced materials business spinoff, entered into an agreement to sell its personal protective equipment business and made several acquisitions.

The separation of the automation and aerospace technologies businesses is expected to be completed in the second half of 2026. The spinoff of the advanced materials business is anticipated to be completed by the end of this year or early next year Like Honeywell, other U.S. conglomerates have been pressured by shareholders to simplify their structures, allowing each segment of the company to move more freely and adapt to changes in their respective markets.

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, right, talks to the media Thursday at the Louisiana Now Pavilion in New Orleans, which is set up to highlight the Louisiana economy during the Super Bowl

Trump creates task force to stop ‘anti-Christian bias’

‘Let’s bring God back into our lives,’ he says at prayer breakfast

BY AAMER MADHANI and PETER SMITH Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Thursday that he wants to root out “anti-Christian bias” in the U.S., announcing that he was forming a task force led by Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate the “targeting” of Christians. Speaking at a pair of events in Washington surrounding the the National Prayer said be halt tian nation government, the lutely FBI agencies.” Tr also anti-Christian vandalism to move def tians nationwide.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI President Donald Trump speaks Thursday at the National

forming a commission on religious liberty He criticized the Biden administration for “persecution” of believers for prosecuting anti-abortion advocates.

And Trump took a victory lap over his administration’s early efforts to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion programs and to limit transgender participation in women’s sports.

“I don’t know if you’ve been watching, but we got rid of woke over the last two weeks,” he said. “Woke is gone-zo.”

Trump’s new task force drew criticism from Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

“Rather than protecting religious beliefs, this task misuse religious justify bigotry, discrimination, and the subour civil rights Rachel Laser, the president and CEO. Capitol, Trump said people “can’t be without religion, withbelief. Let’s bring back. Let’s bring into our lives.”

Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, a Baptist head of the proInterfaith Alliance, ump of hypocrisy to champion recreating the task force.

“From allowing immigration raids in churches, to targeting faith-based charities, to suppressing religious diversity the Trump Administration’s aggressive government overreach is infringing on religious freedom in a way we haven’t seen for generations,” Raushenbush said in a statement.

Kelly Shackelford, head of First Liberty Institute, a conservative Christian legal organization, disagreed, praising the creation of the task force and religious liberty commission.

“All Americans should be free to exercise their faith without government intrusion in school, in the military, in the workplace, and in the public square.

We are ready to stand with President Trump to ensu that the religious liberty every American is safe and secure,” Shackelford said in a statement.

eral government. At Thursday’s prayer breakfast, she praised Trump as “the greatest champion” any president has been “of religion, of faith and of God.”

Trump also announced creation of a White House faith office led by Paula White-Cain, a longtime pastor in the independent charismatic world. An early supporter of Trump’s 2016 presidency bid, she led Trump’s Faith and Opportunity Initiative in 2019, advising faith-based organizations on ways to partner with the fed-

She’s the religious advisor “that he appears to trust the most,” said Matthew Taylor, a Protestant scholar and author of “The Violent Take It By Force: The Christian Movement That Is Threatening Our Democracy,” a 2024 book about the roles of White-Cain and other charismatic leaders who have been among Trump’s most fervent supporters. He said the faith-based ofﬁce — depending on its mandate — may not raise major concerns. Past presidents have had similar ones. “I’m actually much more concerned about this antie,” he said. In a majority Christian country, “it’s a bit absurd to claim that there is anti-Christian bias When a majority begins to claim persecution, that is often a license for attacks on minorities.”

The Republican president, who’s a nondenominational Christian, called religious liberty “part of the bedrock of American life” and called for protecting it with “absolute devotion.”

BY JOSH FUNK Associated Press

“renovate an old, broken system” instead of investing new one. He said in his private jet, he uses a system om another country when he lands because his pilot says the existing system is obsolete.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Elon Musk said in posts on X that Musk’s team at the Department of Government Efficiency is going to help rapidly upgrade the nation’s aviation safety system.

on week’ a helico an tem controllers, repla event ha an ou lided ter as the plane was about to National ington, ers. Brand new not pieced

The Federal Aviation Administration has been working since the mid-2000s to upgrade the air traffic control system through its NextGen program. Federal ofﬁcials have been raising concerns about an overtaxed and understaffed air traffic control system for

22 states sue New York state, alleging environmental fund is unconstitutional

By The Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y Twenty-two states including Louisiana sued New York state on Thursday, contending that a new law forcing a small group of major energy producers to pay $75 billion into a fund to cover climate change damage is unconstitutional.

Among

The law requires major fossil fuel companies to pay into the fund over the next quarter-century based on their past gas emissions.

“This lawsuit is to ensure that these misguided policies, being forced from one state onto the entire nation will not lead America into the doldrums of

The lawsuit, ﬁled in Albany ork, li At Gen other fendants. comment defendant We eral co the Chang which requires payments for damage allegedly done from 2000 to 2018.

reach,” McCuskey added. “If we allow New York to get away with this, it will only be a matter of time before other states follow suit — wrecking our nation’s power grid.”

The lawsuit accuses New York state of trying to force energy producers and consumers in other states “to subsidize certain New Yorkbased ‘infrastructure’ projsuch sewer the reKansas,hio, olina, nnessee,

Flounder population still overfished

Data shows signs of improvement in state

BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer

Louisiana’s troubled flounder population remains overfished, and a recently implemented closed season should stay in place to help address the problem, a new state assessment shows, though there are encouraging signs raising hopes for an improvement.

Public gets first view of library options

Northeast Regional designs weighed

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

A design consultant working on the new Northeast Regional Library in Lafayette is expected to present her ﬁnal report to a committee and the public on Thursday

The Northeast Library Committee will meet at 6 p.m. Feb. 13 at the Main Library, 301 W Congress St., to hear a presentation from 720 Design, a consultant from Dallas that specializes in library design.

The design firm has been gathering input from stakeholders on what they want the new library to look like and what services they want.

The Northeast Library Committee may make a recommendation at the meeting to the Library Board of Control on how the committee would like to proceed with regard to size and space as well as a budget

D.C. crash victim makes local impact

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

The local decline in southern ﬂounder long a dinnertime favorite in south Louisiana, is part of a trend across the Gulf and southern Atlantic, with a myriad of factors driving it Those include a loss of habitat due to coastal erosion and warmer waters, partly attributable to climate change and which can cause more of the ﬁsh to become male.

The state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries carries out a comprehensive assessment of the ﬂounder population every ﬁve years. A summary of the results of the new assessment was provided to the commission overseeing the department on Thursday, with the full 129-page technical report to be released to the public when

it is handed over to the state Legislature in the days ahead. It relies on data through 2023, collected through a combination of sampling, surveys and lab analysis.

The bottom line is that flounder numbers remain well under the target rate, the assessment found, and slightly below what is considered the lower limit necessary for a sustainable population. Catch numbers have declined from more than 300,000 pounds

per year before 2017 to more recent lows of around 100,000. The previous assessment in 2020 showed catches were their lowest on record for 2017 and 2018. Exact ﬁgures were not yet available from the new assessment, but the numbers through 2023 appear to show catches at similar levels for recreational anglers and further declines for commercial ﬁshers.

ä See FLOUNDER, page 4B

HORSING AROUND

Lafayette woman reflects on pivotal message Stevens

Heading over to Caffe Cottage in Lafayette with some friends Jan. 27 Molly Stevens’ night started as just a get-together with the girls, until she met Ian Epstein, a man who she says spoke light into her life. Sitting at a table with her stepsister and another friend, Stevens said the three laughed and talked while waiting on food they had ordered when a man who they had never met approached the table.

“He walked to our table and said directly to me that he’d seen me from afar and just had to tell me that I had a ‘unique sparkle’ that he could see clearly,” Stevens said

ABOVE: People line the street to get a look at the Budweiser Clydesdales, which marched through downtown Lafayette, stopping at local bars and restaurants for photos. They will be making appearances throughout Lafayette for the rest of the week. RIGHT: The Dalmatian mascots are companions to the horses and sit next to the driver in the beer wagon.

Girder damaged in

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announced the closure of Interstate 49 as it works to repair the Interstate 10 eastbound overpass girder From 9 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Sunday, I-49 northbound at its intersection I-10 will be closed to all trafﬁc. The repairs to the overpass are necessary after an 18-wheel truck hit the overpass

and damaged the exterior girder in December Previously, on Jan. 3, 2023, an 18-wheeler hauling an excavator that was positioned too high on the trailer struck the same I-10 eastbound overpass and scraped the westbound overpass while traveling on I-49. In the 2023 collision, three of the eight girders were catastrophically damaged and two other

the project includes removing the damaged girder from the I-10 overpass structure utilizing a crane, as well as installing the

girder. The new bridge deck will also be fabricated in place once the new girder is installed, according to DOTD. This process will occur over the subsequent weeks. This project is estimated to be completed in March, weather permitting. All lanes of Interstate 10 in the eastbound direction will be open to trafﬁc. Here are the

closures that will remain in place: n Interstate 10 eastbound over-

PHOTOS By ROBIN MAy

The Budweiser Clydesdales make a special appearance in downtown Lafayette on Wednesday.

OPINION

Super Bowl LIX another chance for N.O. to shine

As long as New Orleans as a city has been on the map, and we can trace that back to the days of Nouvelle Orleans in the early 1700s, there have always been unifying moments that rally the passionate spirit and drive of its people.

Through ﬂoods, hurricanes, disease and tragic attacks, we have survived, built stronger, become wiser and, perhaps, just a little more cynical but in a joyful, humor-ﬁlled way Throw the sink at us? We always rise to the challenge and in doing so, provide inspiration to the world with our resolve. So, here we are. The eve of the 11th Super Bowl to be held in New Orleans, tying with Miami as the most in a location, and the eighth

one in the Caesars Superdome, a stadium record. The moment provides Louisianans, and especially those who are in the Metro New Orleans area, a reason to embrace and celebrate the unifying power of this game. And as a citizen, I am thankful that this event jump-started many dormant infrastructure projects that will last for a generation if not more.

One of my dad Jerry’s proudest roles among many was serving as the public address announcer for the first four Super Bowls in New Orleans, and it was a pure pleasure for him to be asked by the Saints front office to assist the NFL staff by handling this important task. I remember that first Super Bowl in New Orleans. It was a cold January Sun-

day in 1970 on the Tulane University campus, played in the arena known affectionately by many as Sugar Bowl Stadium.

As memory served, my brother Jay and I had a unique vantage point, sitting alongside our dad, who also served as the public address announcer for the New Orleans Saints for 44 years and 446 consecutive games.

We sat in the very small unheated “house controls” booth attached underneath the upper deck of the stadium’s west side. There were a few cold box lunches provided during the game. And I distinctly remember Dad’s regular paging of physicians to call their exchanges as the only other announcements besides the national anthem, play-by-play and halftime description. That Sunday in 1970 seemed

New port terminal must include environmental justice groups in planning

The ports of New Orleans and South Louisiana exemplify the struggle to address a legacy of environmental injustices while transitioning to a clean energy economy Louisiana’s ports and its portside communities have faced decades of issues that include ongoing infrastructure needs, natural disasters, water quality and level issues and rising insurance costs.

The Louisiana Climate Action Plan, published by the state in January 2024, acknowledged that ports serve as a vital link in the global supply chain and provide an opportunity for cross-sector climate action that has local and global beneﬁts.

The Port of New Orleans speciﬁcally received over $7 million in federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The funding is supposed to support workforce development initiatives for the new Louisiana International Terminal.

Port NOLA was awarded another EPA grant for Louisiana International Terminal Sustainability Management Planning. The funding is intended to help Port NOLA integrate programming for the LIT project to help create more sustainable, equitable and resilient projects. Port NOLA will subgrant three community-based organizations — the Lower 9th Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development, Nunez Community College and the Urban League of Louisiana $425,000 of the $1 million total grant amount for community engagement, education and workforce development.

Noticeably, no environmental justice group, like RISE St. James Louisiana, is involved in the sustainability planning for the LIT project. In 2023, I met with the Lower 9th CSED and the Urban League of Louisiana concerning their support of the

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

similar to the Port of New Orleans.

LIT project. While the engagements were fruitful, the organizations lacked substance or direction related to the adverse impacts of port expansion projects on their local communities.

We must ensure that environmental justice groups are incorporated in any and all discussions related to projects in their communities, port communities included In December, at the Tulane River and Coastal Center in New Orleans, RISE St. James Louisiana, Friends of the Earth and Fast Action on Super Pollutants hosted a statewide convening to discuss zero-emission ports and a more sustainable future for Louisiana. Given the recent announcement by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agenc that the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development was selected to receive almost $3 million of clean ports investments, this was a well-timed discussion on strategies that will impact climate goals and community health in Louisiana. There are steps to address environmental health in port communities that all readers in Louisiana can take. Kimberly Terrell, of the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic, said residents can “Report, report, report, and pressure elected ofﬁcials regarding permitting and following regulations.” Academics can also support efforts in collecting data on environmental and air quality impacts in port communities.

Craig E. Colten, a professor emeritus at Louisiana State University, argued that research not funded by the government could be supported by academic institutions.

“Resilience is an ongoing process, and projects that establish resilience or protect people from environmental change and harm must start at the community level, not just stakeholder engagement,” he said.

Sharon C. Lavigne, the founder of RISE St. James Louisiana, said that the LIT is following a recurring pattern. It promises more jobs “while ignoring the devastating impacts on communities already burdened by pollution. Our front-line communities, from the Lower 9th Ward to St. James, deserve meaningful engagement and a seat at the table when decisions are made about projects that directly affect our health and future,” she said.

She’s exactly right: Promising jobs is never the answer to further negatively impacting overburdened communities. While we applaud Port NOLA’s efforts to offer community members access, there is more port stakeholders can do. Louisiana should embrace best practices to help build transformative partnerships and address community social inequities fueled by their ports.

Terrance L. Bankston is a senior ports and freight campaigner for Friends of the Earth.

like a simpler time but it was also a time parallel to now This 11th Super Bowl in New Orleans, much like that ﬁrst Super Bowl in 1970 or the 1984 World’s Fair, brings a sense of pride and a “we can do it” vibe to our community and state This one-of-a-kind international event brings to life the maxim “Built to Host,” a promise to visitors and citizens alike that after more than three centuries, this port city continues to see the arrival of people from across the globe. And through the years we have continued to ﬁnd ways to share our truths, celebrate differences and embrace our respective traditions. Almost 60 years ago, New Orleans was deemed worthy to have a franchise of the NFL, our beloved New Orleans Saints. We are one of only 32 cities in our

nation with such a privilege. And because of the stewardship of the Saints’ owner, Gayle Benson, and before her with her husband, Tom, our long road has led us to today The eyes of the world now rest on New Orleans once again, and the moon’s waxing crescent symbolizes a city that is on the rise to not only meet the challenge but build better for this and future generations.

Now, back to the game Whether you are in the Caesars Superdome or watching it at home with friends and family, we are all ready for the kickoff. This weekend will surely be one for the ages. Mark Romig is the stadium playby-play announcer for the Saints in the Caesars Superdome and a member of the Super Bowl LIX Host Committee.

Reducing housing costs not about ideology, but policy

Housing affordability is a major political issue in the United States, and Louisiana is no exception. Prepandemic, the median rent in Louisiana was $866. Currently, it is $1,020. Fortunately, ofﬁcials in the Pelican State are working hard to address this challenge. For example, in December, community leaders in Shreveport announced a $38.1 million investment to upgrade and expand affordable housing. This investment is more than symbolic — it represents an understanding that all parties must work together to expand the housing supply

The 2024 presidential election featured much ﬁnger-pointing about the “true cause” of the increase in housing costs. The right blamed illegal immigration, while the left blamed “greedy” landlords. More recently, algorithmic pricing has become a prime target, spawning an antitrust lawsuit from the Department of Justice

The proposed policies — rent control, immigration restrictions and algorithmic software bans will not solve the problem of high housing costs simply because they address the symptoms, not the causes.

But some politicians just can’t help themselves — they need to assign blame and attempt to codify it, if only to justify their support for bad policies.

In January 2024, several U.S. senators introduced legislation to prohibit the use of algorithmic software in the housing rental market. Fortunately, this bill was not passed into law, and hopefully, Louisiana’s representatives, including Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, will ensure that this type of legislation doesn’t see the light of day in the 119th Congress. We need to understand why housing prices have risen. One primary driver is the increase in the money supply unleashed by the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic The Federal Reserve pumped approximately $6.3 trillion into the economy from March 2020 until April 2022 — the most significant increase in the money supply in US history This increase led to too much money chasing too few goods, naturally causing inflation. The prices of everything increased — including shelter To combat inflation, the Federal Reserve began increasing its inter-

est rate target. This, in turn, led to higher mortgage rates, making it more difﬁcult for those who want to buy a home, turning them into involuntary renters and pushing up rents. We need not resort to “greed” as an explanation when simple economics will do. However, inﬂation alone does not explain the increase in the cost of shelter. There are two other major structural issues facing the Louisiana and national housing markets: NIMBYism and construction costs.

NIMBYism (short for “not in my backyard”) describes a broad set of policies that restrict housing or other development. These include zoning regulations to prevent certain kinds of construction or use restrictions. On Dec. 30, the New Orleans City Council voted to rezone a 25-acre tract of land in Algiers from multifamily to singlefamily By doing so, far fewer housing units will come to the market, keeping the prices high.

NIMBYism may serve legitimate purposes in limited cases, but all restrictions on housing necessarily increase the price of homes. As the great economist Thomas Sowell once said, “There are no solutions, only trade-offs.”

Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. Rent control decreases both the quantity and quality of units on the market. Furthermore, a black market for rentals often appears, leading to poorly regulated and dangerous living conditions. The issues surrounding immigration can’t be solved at the state level. And no serious economist believes a software program is responsible for high rental costs. The housing affordability crisis demands economically sound solutions that tackle the root causes instead of scapegoating the symptoms. At the national level, reducing federal spending to manage inﬂation and interest rates is a necessary measure. Meanwhile, state and local leaders must address the housing shortage by committing to reforming restrictive zoning laws and fostering innovation in construction — just like they did in Shreveport. Louisiana’s future hinges on its ability to balance growth and affordability, ensuring that housing policies prioritize the needs of its residents over politics or ideology

Jonathan Murphy is assistant professor of economics at Nicholls State University

Murphy GUEST COLUMNIST

The proposed $1.5 billion Louisiana International Terminal for St Bernard Parish will look

ROOM FOR DEBATE SUPERBOWL FANS

Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs faithful have flocked to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX on Sunday. Before the game is decided on the field, there’s an argument to be settled over which team has the most diehard fans.We invited two fans to make their case.

Here are their perspectives.

No need to fear ‘irrationally passionate’ Philadelphia fans

PHILADELPHIA I’m not sure how much traction you’re going to get by warning visiting Eagles fans not to climb the quaint light poles of the French Quarter.

I recommend vats of Crisco, hydraulic ﬂuid or baby oil.

That’s helped here in Philly, although our ﬁnest weren’t fully prepared for the celebration that exploded Jan. 26 after the Eagles ran over the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship. An 18-year-old Temple gymnast died after falling from an ungreased pole he climbed in Center City

Stadium for rowdy miscreants. City officials were embarrassed when more than 60 fistfights broke out on national television. “The fans — even by Philadelphia standards — were just getting out of hand,” a mayoral spokesman said.

Daniel Rubin GUEST COLUMNIST

Typically, when Philly fans party, they soar: they scale light standards, bus shelters, mailboxes, the awning in front of the Ritz Carlton Some say the tradition stems from pole climbing competitions in the city’s Italian festivals of the 1960s. Others say it’s because Philly fans are irrationally passionate about everything, particularly our Iggles. As Eagles fans ran screaming joyfully into the streets, stuff happened. A woman plowed her Mercedes into the crowd (no serious injuries). Across the city, there were scattered reports of shootings, a stabbing and assaults on cops. And this happened after a Philly win Fear not New Orleans. As a rule, Eagles fans tend to soil their own nest. The reason is complicated — it has to do with Quaker self-deprecation, a dash of self-loathing and an anger one Philly playwright traces to the decision to move the nation’s capitol from the City of Brotherly Love in 1800.

This is the city, after all, whose most famous billboard of the 1970s observed, “Philadelphia isn’t as bad as Philadelphians Say It Is.” That said, we tend to travel well. We’re big-hearted. Polite, even. We appreciate nice things. And particularly a historic city with real character and real problems, one with passionate fans and serious food. We have that in common — and no, the cheesesteak is not all we eat. Actually, I was a little surprised to be asked to write something for y’all about Philly fans, because their reputation is far worse than the reality. OK, back in the day there was a courtroom in the basement of Veterans

But a lot of the criticism is as stale as a store-bought pretzel.

Like that “Throwing Snowballs at Santa” story that won’t die. The truth is the Santa hired to toss candy canes to the crowd that day in December 1968 failed to show up at game time. So the team’s PR staffers tapped a scrawny dude in a ratty Santa suit with a raggedy fake beard.

It’s long been explained to me as a justiﬁed pelting — a city protesting a lame representation of Santa.

These days, no snowballs for Santa.

(Although on Jason Kelce’s very Philly late-night talk show, quarterback Jameis Winston talked about playing Philly his rookie year and getting hit with a ﬂying mace of steamed Alaska King crabs that someone had snuck into the stadium.)

These days we’re more inclined to celebrate with savory foods.

One of “the most Philly pictures ever” circulated on social media after the game against Washington — a man serving roast pork sandwiches from a shopping cart inside a SEPTA subway car, little pig’s head with an apple in its mouth and all.

No one here has tracked down the entrepreneur yet, but we did talk to another porcine fancier, a chef named Jeremy Smith, who has dyed his beard green since 2017. He’s spent the night outside the stadium, taking turns tending the ﬁre with his tailgate partner When they were done serving pals, they brought the head with them to their seats.

“You’re allowed to bring food in clear plastic bags,” he reasoned. “We were waving it around. It was fun.”

So, it’s fun those guys and gals in green are coming for — nothing you party people haven’t seen before. But please, grease the poles.

Daniel Rubin is the senior editor for investigations at The Philadelphia Inquirer and a former metro columnist. He can be reached at drubin@inquirer.com.

Cheeseburgers, a coach and focus: Chiefs have it all

Our coach eats cheeseburgers. Sure, everybody’s coach eats cheeseburgers, but we all know who we’re talking about here. Big Red. Andy Reid. The round old man who is both really, really good at his job and also inspires Halloween costumes for pudgy toddlers. Man oh man, our Big Red loves him some cheeseburgers.

We’re not complicated, we knaves of Chiefs Kingdom, and pretty much everything you need to know about us you’ve seen on TV When Jim Nantz or Al Michaels is generous about the elegant side of Kansas City more fountains than Rome, or some such nonsense, the world’s best barbecue (according to us and them like us), must-see museums dedicated to jazz and Negro Leagues baseball it’s all true.

Chris Lazzarino GUEST COLUMNIST

And when you see the ravenous, facepainted scary people screaming their fool brains out in Arrowhead Stadium, that’s us, too.

When controversy arose over the D.C. franchise’s grossly offensive name — worse even than the “Washington” part attention also turned toward the Chiefs, with the Native American moniker (kept it), arrowheads on helmets (kept ’em), the tomahawk chop (officially modified, unofficially alive and well), a mascot adorned in a ceremonial headdress (very much eliminated), and a 6-foot cattle- and buffalo-hide drum that was both preserved and improved thanks to the creation of an American Indian Community Working Group.

Here’s a bit not many know: The K.C. football season begins with a blessing of the ﬁeld by Cheyenne and Arapaho spiritual leaders.

That’s called home-ﬁeld advantage.

Our Chiefs are OK away from K.C., too, and we love us a road trip — although how many ﬁre up the RVs and point south for the LIX rematch of LVII remains to be seen. “Pretty hard to afford the damn Super Bowl every year,” a friend with season tickets wrote in a text message, explaining why he’s not going. “I guess I shouldn’t complain.”

The true Chiefs fan is, in the grossly generalized sense, a Ford F-150 assembly-line worker from Claycomo, a railroader from KCK, a salvage yard supervisor in Raytown. These diehards

and their husbands party hearty — most famously in the acres of Arrowhead Stadium parking and they aren’t giving up golf trips to Scottsdale to pay for football. They’re forgoing fishing licenses and leave-the-house clothes. The self-described superfan who went by the nom de guerre “ChiefsAholic” paid for his tickets by robbing banks; his 17-season federal sentence began last September Chiefs fans share a focused mindset that allows for few deviations. They don’t get the obsession with Taylor Swift’s fandom because they don’t care. She shows up, she’s got the gear, she cheers madly, she’ll punch you in the face if you badmouth her man. All cool. She’s one of us; let’s move on. If you do happen to bump into Chiefs fans this week — which you surely will if you own a liquor store or work at a casino — just don’t bring up this whole refs-and-Mahomes thing. Because, hey, of course the refs love Patrick Mahomes. Everyone does. Besides, the Bills had the match on their racket in the AFC title game, down three points with 3:33 left on the clock, and, yet again, it’s the Chiefs fans’ kids who are killing it on their Roman numeral pop quizzes. You had your chance, rest of the league, so we don’t wanna hear it. Get better or get over it. The last time New Orleans hosted the Super Bowl, to conclude the 2012 season, our 2-14 Chiefs were golfing in Scottsdale or fishing without licenses. We know bad. Hooooo, boy, do we know bad. Decades worth. But now it’s good. Now we’re dreaming of our third Super Bowl championship in a row, in our fifth Super Bowl in six years. (Shoulda been VI in VII — thanks, Dee Ford.) Our future Hall of Fame tight end dates the world’s biggest pop star, our all-world quarterback refuses to lose or apologize, our defense is borderline great, and our coach eats cheeseburgers. As we say here in the heartland confluence of the Kansas and Missouri rivers, F’n A, bubba. Life is good. Go Chiefs. Chris Lazzarino, a lifelong Chiefs and Royals fan, is a freelance writer in Lawrence, Kansas.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Workers hang player banners outside the Caesars Superdome on Feb 1 in New Orleans, prior to the NFL Super Bowl LIX.

FLOUNDER

Continued from page 1B

In response to the previous assessment, the state in 2022 opted to close flounder fishing annually between Oct. 15 and Nov 30 — prime spawning season for the spotted flatfish. The department’s biologists are recommending that remain in place for now

The good news is it appears catch numbers somewhat increased in 2024, said Jason Adriance, the department’s finfish program manager That would match up with anecdotal observations from anglers, with many reporting catching more ﬂounder than in recent years. It is unclear if that trend will

continue or if temporary factors, including high salinity inshore due to low rivers the last few years, are driving it

“We have had a slight uptick in landings in 2024,” Adriance told the commission. “We have had some decent recruitment (fish reaching adult age). We’re just not over that limit yet.”

The number that continues to concern biologists is a metric called spawning potential ratio, which in part compares the ﬂounder population against what it would be if there were no ﬁshing.

That number is 31% in the new assessment, one percentage point below what is considered the lower limit but well under the target of 46%.

The ﬂounder’s troubles coincide

with concern over other popular species, including speckled trout and redﬁsh. Limits on both of those were tightened recently in an effort to restore their populations, also afﬂicted by habitat declines due to Louisiana’s land loss crisis and other factors.

Speckled trout regulations changed in November 2023 from a 12-inch size minimum to 13 inches, and a maximum size of 20 inches, with two ﬁsh allowed above that. The daily limit of total fish was reduced from 25 to 15 per person.

In June, redfish regulations were altered to include a minimum size of 18 inches and maximum of 27 inches. The daily total per person was reduced from five to four fish For flounder, a catch limit of 10 per day is in effect with no mini-

to her, ‘I think that man just changed the trajectory of my life.’”

His message felt so powerful, and I had goose bumps from the beginning of him talking to the end and my eyes just watered as he continued.”

The man said phases of her life may try to dull her and give her trials and tribulations that will dim her sparkle, Stevens recalled. Then he told her it’s up to her to keep that sparkle lit. It was only later she says she realized she was speaking with Ian Epstein, an American Airlines ﬂight attendant who died in a plane crash in Washington, D.C., on Jan 29.

The American Airlines jet carrying 60 passengers and four crew members collided with an Army helicopter while landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington, officials said. The collision killed 67 people in the nation’s worst air disaster in a generation.

“After his empowering message I thanked him, asked him his name, and we all hugged before he went outside,” Stevens said. “I remember turning to the friend I was with and saying

Stevens admits she had, in fact, “lost her sparkle a bit,” after graduating from University of Louisiana at Lafayette in May. She wasn’t sure what to do next. Feeling as if she lost her purpose, she says, she needed to hear those words in that moment With hopes of one day updating Epstein on her successes, Stevens approached him that evening to thank him again and to get his social media information.

She said the two followed one another on social media and went their separate ways.

“Two days later I got a message from my friend, who was there with me the night I met Epstein, and the message was an article about a plane crash,” Stevens said.

“I immediately recognized the photos of Epstein plastered on the internet.”

Steven says she was in shock for a few days

“It was such an eerie and mysterious feeling to have a message that was so powerful and special delivered to me by this amazing stranger and have it be followed by such a tragedy.”

Describing him as someone who seemed full of life,

Stevens said, “Ian’s cup was so abundant that he was able to pour into mine so generously in this brief encounter.”

Though she internalized his message when she met him that night at Caffe Cottage, she says, she said she is now profoundly moved by it now

“I am still moved by it. I hold him so close to my heart. Like the many beautiful souls involved in this tragedy, Ian’s life and legacy will be remembered,” she said.

Email Ja’kori Madison at jakori.madison@ theadvocate.com.

LOTTERY

WEDNESDAY, FEB 5, 2025

PICK 3: 0-9-3

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EASY 5: 7-11-20-33-36

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The former Lafayette City-Parish Council in 2018 budgeted $8 million for construction of a new library branch in the northeastern area of the parish, a socioeconomically challenged area that is geographically isolated from other public libraries by the Evangeline Thruway. A six-acre site off Louisiana Avenue and Shadow Bluff Drive was purchased in 2024 for the library The consultant’s report is available on the library’s website under Feb 13 and Northeast Branch Library Space Program. The design team created three options for consideration: 20,500 square feet, 17,500 square feet and 12,500 square feet, which is based on the 2018 budget. The 12,500 square foot option includes meeting room capacity for 40 people that does not contain a stage, two study rooms, 22 computers and public seating for 38. It calls for 7,000 fewer items in the collection than

mum size limit.

There was good news on Thursday for other species, including black drum and sheepshead. New assessments found neither of those species overﬁshed, though with a word of caution on black drum, which is expected to fall below targets in the years ahead and may require regulation changes. Both black drum and sheepshead are also popular among recreational anglers in Louisiana, though less so than trout and redﬁsh.

Email Mike Smith at msmith@ theadvocate.com or follow him on Twitter, @MikeJSmith504. His work is supported with a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, administered by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation.

JEFFREy COLLINS

and family of flight attendant Ian Epstein walk Wednesday inside his celebration of life in Charlotte, N.C.

The species most often caught by Louisiana anglers is the southern

SPORTS

CHIEFS VS. EAGLES • 5:30 P.M. SUNDAy FOX

Long live ambush

Iconic onside kick ‘woven into the fabric of families’ lives’

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

In his own words, Chris Reis is a “nobody” these days.

He lives with his family in southwest Louisiana, where he is a pastor at Our Savior’s Church in Youngsville. It’s been nearly 15 years since he played in a professional football game. His square jawline and athletic build isn’t enough for many people to recognize him for what he once was. But every now and then, someone will. They will come up to the man who played a key role in one of the most famous plays in Super Bowl history and they will often start the conversation with, “I remember where I was.” Sometimes they will have a tear in their eye, because being reminded of a certain time and a certain place means remembering who they occupied it with when Ambush happened Ambush, the surprise onside kick called by former New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton to start the second

half of Super Bowl XLIV: Thomas Morstead on the kick; Reis on the recovery.

“It’s almost one of those iconic moments where you join together with the Who Dat nation and you reflect together about where you were, what you were doing, how that affected your life,” Reis said. “It’s like we live those moments together forever.”

Forever may take on a new meaning when considering the old play in modern context.

The NFL altered its kickoff rules this year — a change mostly pioneered by Darren Rizzi, then the Saints’ special teams coordinator — in an effort to both increase the number of kicks being returned and decrease the number of injuries on the play By virtually every measure, the change was a success.

But with it something was lost.

Because of the structure of the new rule — which places the kickoff coverage team at the receiving team’s 40-yard line, 25 yards in front of the kicker, and which requires the kick to drop into a landing zone between the 20-yard line and goal line — Ambush is a relic of a bygone era.

If a team wants to perform an onside kick, it must declare its intentions before the play

“The game changes,” Morstead said. “Things change, rules change. I think, by and large, the new kickoff rule has been a positive thing.”

Unlike Reis, who played his final NFL game in 2010, Morstead is still playing. He was a rookie punter when he etched his name into NFL lore, and he just completed his 16th NFL season. He likes that the new rule has added more opportunity for return men to affect the game, because any time the ball is in their hands, there is potential for something exciting to happen.

At the same time, he wished it was possible for a team to surprise another team and steal a possession within the framework of the current rules.

“It’s going to have to be a fake punt or a fake ﬁeld goal, or a reverse play on a kickoff return, or a punt return throwback or something like that,” Morstead said. “But the onside kick isn’t happening the way that happened.”

ä See AMBUSH, page 4C

Trade ends Ingram’s star-crossed run with Pels

Brandon Ingram will go down as one of the best players to ever wear a New Orleans Pelicans uniform.

No, he wasn’t Chris Paul or Anthony Davis good.

But Ingram, who was traded to the Toronto Raptors late Wednesday night stamped his place onto that next tier If you don’t believe me, just look at the numbers.

Ingram ranks in the top 10 in franchise history in all three major categories: He’s ﬁfth in points, third in assists and 10th in rebounds.

He is also sixth in games played, which may come as a surprise when you reﬂect back on how many games Ingram hasn’t played since arriving in New Orleans in 2019 as part of the Davis trade.

Of the 439 games the Pelicans have played since Ingram came to town, he’s missed 134 of them. He’s played in only 18 games this season. His last game was Dec. 7 against Oklahoma City when he suffered high-grade low ankle sprain.

I still remember watching Ingram being helped to the Pelicans’ locker room that night. “That might be the last time we ever see B.I. in a Pelicans uniform,” I remember thinking to myself that night.

After all, the trade deadline was exactly two months away and Ingram was playing

Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram dribbles down the court during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Smoothie King Center on Nov. 16.

Fifty-four years ago, Archie Manning’s life changed forever He married his college sweetheart, Olivia Williams, on Jan. 21, 1971. A few days later the New Orleans Saints selected the star quarterback out of Ole Miss with the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft. It was a heady time for the Drew, Mississippi, native. He had no way of knowing back then what life had in store for him. He certainly couldn’t have predicted that, 54 years later, he’d have one of the most prestigious hospitals in the region rename itself Manning Family Children’s in his honor

“This is a tremendous honor,” Manning said during the extravagant Louisiana Legacy ceremony Wednesday night at the Louisiana NOW Pavilion. “Olivia and I are so impressed with the leadership at the hospital and love what they do for the community.”

The folks at the former Children’s Hospital of New Orleans are wise to align with the Mannings, a.k.a. the First Family of Football. Thanks to the spectacular success of Archie and his three famous sons Cooper Peyton and Eli there’s no more powerful or respected name in the city, maybe even the country The Manning name has become synonymous with class, dignity and genteel humility

“I looked up to Archie growing up and consider him a mentor,” said Todd Graves, the founder and CEO of Raising Cane’s and the richest person in the state, according to Forbes. “He and his family are just class acts.”

Like so many things with the Mannings, the honor is part of a family tradition. In 2007, St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis renamed its children’s hospital Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St. Vincent. Two years later, the Eli Manning Children’s Clinics were launched at the University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children after he began a $2.5 million fundraising campaign.

“When we dedicated Peyton Manning’s Children’s Hospital and Eli Manning’s Child Clinics, I told them, ‘This is your ﬁnest hour,’ ” Archie Manning said. “This is probably my ﬁnest hour.”

Quite a statement, considering the many accomplishments Manning has made and honors he’s received over the years.

It’s impossible to quantify what Manning

ä See DUNCAN, page 4C

FEB. 9 • NEW ORLEANS

Countingdowntothebiggamewithalook backatSuperBowlmomentsinNewOrleans:

VINATIERI SHOWS OFF HIS CLUTCH GENE FOR PATRIOTS

The New England Patriots dynasty was spearheaded by the legendary Tom BradyBill Belichick combination, but a key part of its beginning was Adam Vinatieri’s clutch nature.

Vinatieri got his first opportunity to be a Patriots hero in Super Bowl XXXVI against the St Louis Rams Brady had driven the Patriots into field range with seven seconds left in the game, and it was up to Vinatieri to seal the deal.

Vinatieri’s 48-yard field goal was

Jeff Duncan

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Saints special teams player Chris Reis, left, prepares to fall on an onside kick at the beginning of the second half at Super Bowl XLIV in Miami between the Saints and the Colts on Feb 7, 2010.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Rod Walker

Kelly’s NIL fundraiser brings in $3.23M

LSU coach says ‘we met our goals’

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

In December, LSU coach Brian Kelly spearheaded a fundraiser designed to generate money for the football team. Kelly agreed to match up to $1 million in name, image and likeness donations, and so did an anonymous donor

The fundraiser, which ended Wednesday raised $3.23 million, ofﬁcials told The Advocate The majority of the money $1.23 million from fans and $1 million from the unnamed booster went to LSU’s NIL collective, Bayou Traditions, to help fund the roster

“The million dollar match that I put out there relative to NIL, it looks like we met our goals,” Kelly said. “I couldn’t be more excited about that and the direction that allows us to continue to move relative to NIL.

Coaches cannot give to NIL collectives under NCAA rules, so Kelly donated his $1 million to the Tiger Athletic Foundation, the private fundraising arm of LSU sports. TAF president and CEO Matt Borman said Kelly’s money will be put in a scholarship fund, helping cover the athletic department’s fourth-largest expense.

LSU spent $14.1 million on scholarships during the 2024 ﬁscal year, according to the most recent NCAA ﬁnancial report. It only spent more on salaries and other operating expenses, which includes certain trips and events such as team banquets.

About a week before the fundraiser began, Kelly called for more donor support during a news conference on the ﬁrst day of the early signing period.

The transfer portal opened in ﬁve days. He stressed the need for NIL money for the ﬁrst time, and Bayou Traditions president Jared Wilson said he “started seeing contributions that night” as people asked how to support the collective.

LSU’S SEC REVENUE SHARE INCREASES SLIGHTLY

The addition of Oklahoma and Texas to the Southeastern Conference did not prevent the league’s 14 existing members from growing their revenue share for the 2023-24 fiscal year

LSU and the now 15 other SEC schools split a total of $808.4 million for the fiscal year ending Aug 31.

That averaged $52.5 million for the 14 schools that were members before expansion and $27.5 million each for Texas and OU, not counting bowl money for participating schools.

That amount per the 14 pre-expansion members is up slightly from the $51.3 million (plus participating bowl money) schools received for the 2022-23 fiscal year

Oklahoma and Texas, which joined the SEC on July 1, each received $27.5 million resulting from transition payments from ESPN and refundable application fees returned to the SEC in a prior fiscal year USA Today reported that the SEC refunded each school a $15 million application fee paid in 2021 and $12.5 million from ESPN.

The total revenue for SEC schools includes $790.7 million distributed directly from the conference office plus an additional $17.7 million retained by schools that participated in 2023-24 football bowl games. The bulk of the revenue comes from television contracts, the College Football Playoff, the SEC football championship game, the SEC men’s basketball tournament and NCAA championships.

The distribution amount does not include an additional $8.1 million of NCAA and SEC grants divided among the 14 pre-expansion member schools.

“As the entire college athletics enterprise works through significant change, SEC universities are uniquely positioned to provide new financial benefits for student-athletes while continuing to deliver transformative, life-changing college experiences,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a written statement.“Beyond providing an exceptional, debt-free education, this experience includes world-class support in coaching, training, academic counseling, medical care, mental health support, nutrition, life-skills development and post-eligibility healthcare coverage for SEC student-athletes.

Last year, Wilson said LSU “did not spend, on the team, what most of the SEC schools really spent.” He declined to discuss how much money the collective put toward LSU’s roster The Tigers went 9-4 in Kelly’s third season and missed the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff.

“You can only spend what you have, and the collective just did not have a lot of contributions,” Wilson said.

“I think there were still a lot of questions about collectives, and maybe there was some education for the fan base. Hearing it from the coach’s mouth of the need for money (created support) We were behind last year.”

The health of LSU’s collective had improved as more big-money donors got involved, but it had long struggled to build consistent grassroots funding. Borman said “to really get to where a lot of peers are, we had to find a way to get the masses involved.” Things changed when Kelly said LSU had lost two top recruits because of NIL money “It takes money to go out and get the players that can compete for national championships on the field,” Wilson said. “The people who reached out to me said they bought into what coach Kelly said. Myself, TAF, we can all make the ask. But when the guy at the top asks for it, it means more.” Kelly came up with the idea for the fundraiser, Borman said, and 1,600 fans donated $1.23 million over the past two months. He noted 62% of those people were first-time contributors. TAF received four additional milliondollar NIL donations, but Borman said those may have been sent regardless of the fundraiser Moving forward, LSU is preparing to share up to $20.5 million with athletes beginning this summer as a result of a pending settlement in three federal anti-

trust cases, and the terms include an NIL enforcement arm in an attempt to curb pay-for-play That could affect collectives, but Wilson and Borman said they still need to raise NIL money for LSU to be competitive

“We’ve got to continue business as normal in the NIL space and make sure we take advantage of this momentum that coach Kelly helped us create with the masses of LSU fans and get as many people involved as possible,” Borman said. “It doesn’t stop today just because the match campaign ended.”

As the fundraiser took place, LSU added 16 transfers, many of whom are expected to have key roles next season. Though the $2.23 million was a fraction of the money needed to sign them, it helped assemble what is currently the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country, according to 247Sports with a spring window still to come.

“We’re in a much better place than we were, say, eight months ago,” Kelly said. “Our roster, our staff, our focus on NIL and our ability to raise money for NIL have put us in a position where I know our program is now poised to be a championship program.”

Tweaks fail to change LSU men’s big picture

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

LSU men’s basketball opened its game against Georgia on Wednesday possessed by the shooting gods but ended it with a battered spirit after an 81-62 defeat, a sixth double-digit loss vs. a Southeastern Conference opponent this season Asa Newell delivered the loudest blow, capitalizing on poor interior defense by LSU for a dunk with 2:10 left in the game. Three seconds later, Corey Chest nonchalantly inbounded the ball to Jordan Sears, who was ﬂanked by a pouncing Georgia (16-7, 4-6 SEC) defender who stole the ball. Newell was then gifted an easy andone layup on his way to a gamehigh 17 points.

When this sequence occurred, LSU’s fate already was decided. The Tigers’ nine 3-pointers in the ﬁrst half, which were more than it made in any full SEC game, were wasted.

LSU’s longest losing streak a season ago was three games, which occurred twice. The Tigers (12-10, 1-8) are now on a ﬁve-game losing streak. The unsatisfactory result didn’t come without coach Matt McMahon making changes, which he hinted at after the team’s 31-point loss to Texas on Saturday.

His ﬁrst one notable change was reinserting Sears into the starting

lineup. The fifth-year senior point guard replaced freshman Curtis Givens, who was the starter since LSU’s game against Ole Miss on Jan 11. Givens, who had nine points Wednesday, hasn’t helped LSU get off to good starts and shot just 26% from the field since the change. McMahon chose not to play freshman Vyctorius Miller, LSU’s third-leading scorer (9.5 ppg) It was the first time this year the 6-5 guard didn’t play when healthy Replacing him in the rotation was sophomore Mike Williams,

who entered the game averaging 6.8 minutes per game. He had a season-high nine points in 13 minutes. McMahon played Trey’Dez Green for only the last two minutes. The two-sport athlete checked in for the first time in LSU’s last game at the 12:38 mark of the ﬁrst half and played 11 minutes overall. The last rotation change of note was ﬁfth-year senior Derek Fountain, who played 15 minutes and missed his four shot attempts Wednesday The forward played only six minutes last outing.

Ohio State’s Day agrees to a 7-year extension COLUMBUS, Ohio Ohio State coach Ryan Day, who led the Buckeyes to the national championship just over two weeks ago, has agreed in principle to a seven-year contract valued at $12.5 million a year, the school announced Thursday

The contract, pending approval by the university’s Board of Trustees, runs through the 2031 season and would make Day the second highest-paid coach in the country behind Georgia’s Kirby Smart. Smart makes $13.3 million per year Day, who earned just over $10 million in 2024, was under ﬁre by fans and media after the Buckeyes lost to rival Michigan for a fourth straight year Ohio State received an at-large spot in the 12team College Football Playoff and posted impressive wins for its ﬁrst national title since 2014.

Grubb joins Alabama as offensive coordinator

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Ryan Grubb is reuniting with Kalen DeBoer as Alabama’s offensive coordinator after they worked together to get Washington to a College Football Playoff championship game. Alabama announced Thursday that Grubb had joined DeBoer’s staff. Grubb had been the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on DeBoer’s Washington staff from 2022-23. After Washington lost 34-13 to Michigan in the CFP championship game, DeBoer left to take over Alabama’s program. Grubb had planned to join him at Alabama until he got hired as the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator Grubb was fired at the end of the Seahawks’ 10-7 season. Now, he returns to the college ranks to work with DeBoer again.

Holmgren announces that he’s rejoining the Thunder OKLAHOMA CITY Chet Holmgren is ready to return to the Oklahoma City lineup.

Holmgren is not listed on Oklahoma City’s injury report for the team’s game Friday against Toronto, indicating that he has ﬁnally healed from a fractured hip that had sidelined him since November It’s yet another piece of good news for the Thunder who are atop the NBA with a 40-9 record and entered Thursday with a six-game lead over Memphis in the Western Conference standings. They were 8-2 in the season’s ﬁrst 10 games with Holmgren — and have gone 32-7 in the 39 games without the 7-foot-1 center Holmgren averaged 16.4 points and 8.7 rebounds this season before getting hurt.

Alonso stays with Mets, agrees to 2-year contract

LSU shot its most 3s in SEC play (33) and third most all season. Before playing Georgia, the Tigers were averaging 22.5 attempts from beyond the arc.

LSU also played a matchup zone a defensive tactic that blends man-to-man principles with guarding areas of the court — briefly for the first time this season. This last-ditch effort to get stops came when it was down 15 with 7:35 left in the game.

The multiple ways McMahon tried to adjust didn’t change the outcome, which was determined by the discrepancy in paint scoring and rebounding.

Georgia had 44 points in the paint compared to LSU’s 14. The Bulldogs won the rebounding battle 47-26.

LSU’s physicality was muted after a reliance on hot shooting that eventually cooled off. The 12 3-pointers it made, which tied its season-high against a high-major foe, were not coupled with a defense that made Georgia uncomfortable.

The Tigers allowed Georgia to shoot 49.2%, the second-highest ﬁeld goal percentage by an opponent this season.

Toggling players’ minutes and the team’s tendencies might aid in some ways, but it will not lead to wins if the team doesn’t play a complete game on both ends.

NEW YORK First baseman Pete Alonso is staying with the New York Mets, agreeing to a $54 million, two-year contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press under the condition of anonimity Alonso, additionally, gets a $10 million signing bonus and gets salaries of $20 million this year and $24 million in 2026. New York also offered a $71 million, three-year deal with salaries of $27 million in 2025 and $22 million in each of the following two seasons, with the ability to opt out after each of the ﬁrst two years. He can opt out after the 2025 season to become a free agent again. Alonso, who turned 30 on Dec. 7, lingered on the market longer than other top players.

Bears owner McCaskey, Halas’ daughter, dies at 102 Virginia McCaskey, who inherited the Chicago Bears from her father, George Halas, but avoided the spotlight during four-plus decades as principal owner, has died. She was 102. McCaskey’s family announced through the team that she died Thursday She had owned the Bears since her father’s death on Oct. 31, 1983. Like her father, a co-founder of the NFL, McCaskey kept the team in family hands. She gave operational control and the title of president to her eldest son, Michael McCaskey who served as chairman until being succeeded by brother George McCaskey in 2011. During her stewardship, the Bears won a Super Bowl in

and

Scott Rabalais

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU head coach Brian Kelly speaks with the media following DePelchin Field Day at NRG Stadium on Dec 30 in Houston, Texas.

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU head coach Matt McMahon coaches in the second half of Auburn’s 87-74 win over LSU on Jan. 29 at the PMAC.

MAy

Teurlings Catholic player Charlie Mader wins the ball from a Riverdale defender during their regional playoff match Wednesday in Lafayette. Mader had a hat trick in the Rebels’ 8-0 victory.

Rebels get revenge

Teurlings delivers satisfying regional win over Riverdale

BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributing writer

Revenge was served by the top-ranked and undefeated Teurlings Catholic boys soccer team on Wednesday

A year after the Rebels were upset by lowerseeded Riverdale in the Division II quarterfinals, the programs met again at Teurlings with starkly contrasting results

Teurlings, which led 3-0 at halftime against No. 17 Riverdale, got hat tricks from Charlie Mader and Luke Brown, who each added an assist in a regional playoff game that ended early via the mercy rule 8-0.

“That was a big win for our program,” coach Stephen Devine said. “You have an expectation put on you (as the No. 1 seed) that brings on anxiety and can affect your play

“It’s about how we can overcome it. Losing last year at home as the No 2 seed, can it happen again? The kids have to learn mental toughness. It’s not just this game, it’s for life. I thought we showed that tonight. It’s something I was very proud of.”

Eden Schlabach scored the first goal off a Mader assist. Brown’s long pass to Mader gave the senior, who broke his arm last year against Riverdale, open real estate and a clear path to the goal. He lured the keeper to one side before ﬁnding Schlabach on the opposite ﬂank.

“We wanted blood tonight,” said Mader, who has 30 goals this season. “I was definitely shooting with a chip on my back. We wanted

that 8-0 win.”

The Rebels (21-0) launched more than 15 shots while Riverdale only got a couple of chances to score. It was the 15th shutout for Teurlings, which will host No. 8 North Vermilion (16-4-2), a 3-2 winner over No. 9 Tara, in the quarterﬁnals.

“We played fantastic on defense,” Devine said. “We worked on making sure we’re aware of their dangerous players. You saw that our guys will give anything to prevent a goal That’s what they did.”

Center-backs Gunner Hebert and Luke Viator were instrumental in holding Riverdale (13-7) scoreless their defensive prowess ensuring that keeper Matthew Rushing would have an uneventful night.

Carson Dwyer had an assist and a goal. Seth Cheramie and Schlabach had one assist apiece. Two of Mader’s goals were kicked with such ferocity that the Riverdale goalie was practically frozen as the ball zipped just to his right and inches over his head.

“I’ve been so fortunate to coach Charlie for four years,” Devine said. “We just wanted to get it on frame and see what happens, but he wants to put it in the back of the net.”

Riverdale wasn’t a typical No. 17 seed. The Jefferson Parish-based Rebels emerged from a district that includes four programs that remain alive in the postseason: No. 2 Holy Cross (18-13), No. 3 The Willow School (19-2-3), No. 10 Rummel and No. 11 Ben Franklin

“It’s not easy winning a trophy,” Devine said. “You’re always going to be tested because you’re the No. 1 seed. You’re already going to have a target on your back. Everybody is going to give you their best game.

“I coached the Episcopal

AREA SOCCER

Area boys pairings Division I Regional matchup No. 12 West Monroe 3, No. 28 Acadiana 2 No. 13 Lafayette at No. 4 Catholic-BR, 6 p.m. Thursday Division II Regional matchup No. 1 No.

Cajuns ﬁnish off signing class with RB Garner

Desormeaux said UL filled needs

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

The fanfare that used to be national signing day on the ﬁrst Wednesday in February is a thing of the past.

In UL’s case, for example, running back JJ Garner was the only player to sign with the Ragin’ Cajuns on Wednesday Coach Michael Desormeaux seemed pleased with the Cajuns’ class.

“Last year we used the portal to address needs and issues and I think we did a good job there again,” he said.

Garner is 5-foot-11 and 195 pounder from Timpson, Texas, who rushed for 1,506 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior after missing his junior season with an injury

“We were very excited to sign him,” Desormeaux said. “I think JJ is an incredibly talented back. He’s a really talented player He reminds me of Elijah Mitchell. Elijah in high school, he was the best DB on the ﬁeld and if would have played receiver, he was the best receiver on the ﬁeld and at running back, he had a little bit of everything. JJ is a lot like that.”

Garner will join December high school signee running back Darrell Smith along with mainstays Zylan Perry and Bill Davis.

“Darrell reminds me of Emani Bailey a little bit

— angry running style, runs hard, really physical, same type of build, but he’s a better route runner,” Desormeaux said.

The rest of the newcomers since the December signing class were via the transfer portal, topped by quarterback Walker Howard from Ole Miss and wide receiver Shelton Sampson from LSU.

“Walker brings a veteran presence in that room that we really didn’t have in that room,” Desormeaux said. “Daniel (Beale) and Lunch (Winfield) are really good players, but you add Walker in the mix and now you’ve got three guys who are really capable to winning that job and one of them is a veteran that’s been in college systems and has a little bit more veteran experience.”

The other transfers included cornerback Trae Tomlinson from Richmond, cornerback Curley Reed from Washington, tight end Trey Miller from Wayne State, defensive lineman Jaelen Crider from Youngstown State and tight end Brock Chappell from Furman.

Tight end and linebacker were the two biggest positions of concern after the losses of tight end Terrance Carter to Texas Tech and linebacker Carmycah Glass to Houston. It’s good and bad news at tight end. Replacing Carter’s production won’t likely happen, but UL will have more seasoned tight ends on the depth chart next season.

Lafayette makes

“Going into last year, Terrance was the only one that played,” Desormeaux said. “We were worried about the lack of experience going into last season at that position. I don’t know if you can say you got the same thing you lost in Terrance because he was kind of unique in how we used him — although Caden Jensen did a really good job in the throwing game — but you actually have more playing experience, just with more different players.”

That likely leaves linebacker as the biggest question mark going into the spring practice in March. In addition to Glass departing, leading tackler K.C. Ossai graduated to open up both starting spots. Kailep Edwards, who redshirted, is in position to take over He’ll join Terrence Williams, Caleb Kibodi and Jake St. Andre to go with redshirt freshmen Conor McPherson and Ethan Veal.

“They’ve all flashed where you can see the talent, but we haven’t seen the consistency yet,” Desormeaux said. “Conor and Ethan are two talented players who sat last year It’s just a matter of how fast we can speed them up. They’ve all ﬂashed where you can see the talent, but we haven’t seen the consistency yet.”

The other potential solution is moving Jaden Dugger to inside linebacker

“We’ve got to ﬁnd a way to play him more than we did last year as unique as he is,” Desormeaux said.

sure UL women not upset against Marshall

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

It would have been a bad loss. The UL Ragin’ Cajuns women’s basketball team had lost ﬁve of their past six games and were playing the team in 13th place in the Sun Belt Conference standings. Erica Lafayette made sure it didn’t happen. The senior transfer nailed a clutch 3-pointer with 20 seconds left in regulation to force overtime and ﬁnished with 26 points in the Cajuns’ 92-88 over Marshall on Wednesday at the Cajundome.

points with five rebounds and ﬁve assists.

School of Acadiana girls for 5-6 years. We made it to the state final twice but never won. That’s what I told them. It’s never easy winning. The ride there can be interesting, but every step of the way has to be 110% focus, effort, everything.”

Defense lets Cajuns down in narrow

loss at Georgia Southern

BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer

There were so many things to feel good in UL’s 83-82 loss to Georgia Southern at the Hanner Fieldhouse on Wednesday in Statesboro, Georgia. The Ragin’ Cajuns (717, 5-7 Sun Belt) made 10 3-pointers and sank 24 of their 25 attempts at the freethrow line. UL also outrebounded Georgia Southern 35-32 and took care of the basketball with only six turnovers to eight for the Eagles (12-12, 5-7). The Cajuns took full advantage of those limited chances with 16-8 edge in points off turnovers

The Cajuns also got a career-high 24 points from Mostapha El Moutaouakkil on 10-of-10 shooting at the line.

Senior Kentrell Garnett wasted no time with an early 3-pointer to become the 52nd

player UL history to score 1,000 career points, despite coming to the program as a walk-on

And yet, somehow the Cajuns lost.

“If you look at the stats and didn’t watch the game, you’d probably say, ‘Man, how did they not win that game?’ ” Zimmerman said.

“But we didn’t guard We just gave up layup, layup, layup and (Adante) Holiman stepped up and made a couple of big 3s.” Garnett finished with 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range.

“Kentrell put in a little extra work on his shooting after the last game against South Alabama,” Zimmerman said. “What a fitting way to get his 1,000th point

I’m proud of him. I just wish we could have gotten the win for him.”

The problem was UL’s defense didn’t perform well,

giving up 52.6% shooting from the ﬁeld and 11-pointers to the Eagles.

“I kept preaching to the guys, ‘Got to make a stop, got to make a push. We can’t let them hang around,’ but that’s what we did,” Zimmerman said.

Holiman led the Eagles with 24 points, followed by Eren Banks with 14.

The Cajuns led 80-79 after two Christian Wright free throws with 36 seconds left, only to give up a Eugene Brown basket with 21 seconds left.

And when the Cajuns couldn’t get a layup to fall with 11 seconds left, UL’s hopes ended. It was a back-and-forth game with 12 lead changes and four ties.

The Cajuns will now travel to meet Northern Illinois at 1 p.m. Saturday in DeKalb, Illinois, in the Sun Belt-MAC Challenge.

The Cajuns (10-11, 6-6 Sun Belt) will next play Miami at 2 p.m Saturday in the Sun Belt-MAC Challenge in the Cajundome. Marshall dropped to 7-16, 2-10. Lafayette reached 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field, along with six rebounds She got some scoring help from her friends during the overtime session, however Ashlyn Jones hit jumpers at 4:41 and 3:29 for an 85-83 Cajuns lead with 3:29 left, before hitting two free throws with 1:29 remaining. Tamiah Robinson also came up big in overtime with a 3-pointer with 41 seconds left and two free throws with six seconds left to secure the four-point win. Robinson ﬁnished with 12

Nubia Benedith added 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting with four rebounds. The other hero of the game, though was Skylah Travis with another big effort. She finished with 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the ﬁeld with 11 rebounds. That work on the boards helped UL win the rebound battle 35-30. The turnovers were even at 21. Marshall nearly won thanks to its 3-point shooting with 11-of-39 shooting behind the arc in addition to 23 of 32 at the line. The Cajuns shot 53.6% from the ﬁeld for the game while making 54.5% of their 11 3-point attempts. UL also sank 85.7% of its free throws.

Marshall was led by CC Mays with 27 points, five rebounds and three assists, followed by Madison Kellone with 19 points and three assists.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP UL guard Erica Lafayette led the Cajuns with 26 points in a 92-88 overtime win over Marshall on Wednesday in Lafayette.

STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN

CAESARS

Eagles still king of Tush Push sans Kelce

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

In a simple question asking about the origins of the Tush Push, Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni inevitability ended up defending it. The play, also known as the “Brotherly Shove,” has been so successful and rewarding that even renowned physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson once deemed it nearly unstoppable from a physics perspective. And because of it, talk eventually surfaces about whether the NFL should look to ban teams from running it.

“The success that we have isn’t always replicated throughout the entire league,” Sirianni said. “We saw it last week (in the AFC championship game).”

One of the reasons that the Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s Super Bowl is that the Buffalo Bills failed to get a crucial fourth-down conversion when they attempted to push quarterback Josh Allen across the line of scrimmage. And beyond one anecdotal play stats do bear out Sirianni’s assertion. An ESPN article found entering the season that Philadelphia converted a ﬁrst down or scored a touchdown on 86% of such plays compared with 76% from the rest of the league over the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

This year, Philadelphia has barely seen a drop-off even as its perceived secret ingredient behind the play no longer dons an Eagles uniform.

When longtime center Jason Kelce retired last spring, observ-

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts runs

Chiefs during Super Bowl LVII on Feb 12, 2023, in Glendale, Ariz

ers wondered how his absence would affect the Eagles’ most famous play Kelce, in many eyes, was seen as the linchpin that made it all work. The center, as he snapped the ball, could create such a low center of gravity that he created leverage for the rest of the giant offensive line to push quarterback Jalen Hurts through. But with Kelce retired, the Eagles still have converted 39 of 48 Tush Push attempts across the reg-

New kickoff rule gets chance on Super Bowl stage after no returns last year

BY JOSH DUBOW AP pro football writer

NEW ORLEANS Last season’s Super Bowl featured just about everything.

There were trick plays, clutch performances and plenty of high drama as Kansas City rallied for a 25-22 overtime win against San Francisco.

The one thing missing a single kickoff return. All 13 kickoffs went for touchbacks, marking the first Super Bowl ever without a kickoff return and providing the ﬁnal impetus for the NFL to approve one of its most signiﬁcant rules changes in years by completely overhauling the kickoff.

The new kickoff rule that did lead to a reduction in the rate of injuries and an increase in returns gets the opportunity to appear on the highest-proﬁle stage on Sunday when the Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.

“It’s kind of brought a new life to it,” Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay said. “Gives us something to coach off of, kind of go back to the drawing board and kind of get creative with our ideas.”

The new rule — called the “dynamic kickoff” — was implemented with the hopes of decreasing injuries by limiting the highspeed collisions and incentivizing returns after the rate of returns fell to an all-time low of 21.8% last season.

AMBUSH

Continued from page 1C

Forever now means that Morstead and Reis — and Payton and the Saints — pulled off a play that will likely go down in history as the only one of its kind to ever exist. It is seared into so many memories because it worked, because it was brazen and because it changed the tide.

New Orleans trailed 10-6 when Payton called Ambush. After Reis’ recovery, the Saints went down the ﬁeld and scored a touchdown to take the lead, igniting a second-half rally in which the

For the uninitiated, the new setup looks odd at ﬁrst with the kicker alone at his 35 and his 10 coverage players lined up at the opposing 40. The return team has at least nine blockers lined up in the “setup zone” between the 30- and 35-yard line with at least seven of those players touching the 35. Up to two returners are allowed inside the 20. Only the kicker and two returners will be allowed to move until the ball hits the ground or is touched by a returner inside the 20.

Any kick that reaches the end zone in the air can be returned, or the receiving team can opt for a touchback and possession at the 30 Any kick that reaches the end zone in the air and goes out of bounds or out of the end zone also will result in a touchback at the 30.

According to the NFL, the change led to 332 more returns in 2024 with the return rate increasing to 32.8% There were also 59 returns of at least 40 yards, the most in the league since 2016, and seven TD returns. The concussion rate fell 43% from the previous three years and there were the fewest lower-extremity strains on kick return plays since 2018.

The return rate has increased to 45.1% in the postseason, but that might be based more on the difﬁculty of kicking deep in cold weather, which won’t be an issue with the Super Bowl set to be played in a dome.

Saints outscored the Colts 25-7 to claim the organization’s only Super Bowl title.

It was just a brief moment in time in Morstead’s long career, but he’s carried it with him in multiple ways. If he ever feels his conﬁdence starting to wane, or if he’s fallen into a rut, he knows he can draw back on that moment when the team placed its trust in a rookie to get the job done. That, Morstead said, “never leaves you.”

But, like Reis, Morstead also finds himself reliving the play again and again when people recognize him in public.

The people he generally runs into are positive and happy be-

ular season and playoffs — good for 81.3%.

Last season, with Kelce, that percentage was 83%.

“We take a lot of pride in that play,” left tackle Jordan Mailata said. “Nobody on that offensive line wants to be the reason that it isn’t working anymore. That added pressure of everybody saying, ‘It’s not going to work now because Kelce’s not there.’

“It kind of gets under my skin a

DUNCAN

Continued from page 1C

has meant to New Orleans since he and Olivia elected to put down roots here 54 years ago. The goodwill he’s engendered for the city and the awareness he’s raised of its charms are immeasurable.

“Dad, when you were drafted by the Saints 54 years ago, did you ever think you’d be here one day being honored like this?” Manning’s oldest son, Cooper, quipped during the Louisiana Legacy ceremony Wednesday night. “They were booing you most of the time back then.”

Archie Manning just shook his head.

“I don’t have the words,” he said. “We love everything about this city The culture. The people. It’s been a great run.”

And while the 75-year-old Manning likes to say he’s in “the fourth quarter” of life, his run is far from over He might carry a walking cane with him these days, but he’s not exactly slowing down, as evidenced by the hectic schedule he’s kept this week for Super Bowl LIX.

Manning has been in such demand that he’s had to pick and choose from the innumerable requests and invites that have come his way His plate is so full he couldn’t even make it to the New Orleans Walk of Fame ceremony scheduled this week, where ofﬁcials were to unveil an engraved ﬂeur-de-lis in his and his family’s honor

At a charity dinner Tuesday night, Manning held court with a group of close friends while the emcee introduced him to the starstudded crowd as “the ambassador of New Orleans” and the

cause they’re sharing a cherished moment with one of the people responsible for it. They most often don’t even ask for Morstead’s side of it. Instead, it’s personal histories; how they were living in Houston because Hurricane Katrina displaced them, how they were watching the game at a late uncle’s home. “Being part of the city of New Orleans history is just such a blessing,” Morstead said. “It’s like you’re woven into the fabric of families’ lives here, not just in New Orleans but with Saints fans all over People remember where they were, who they were with, and you get those stories all the time. That’s really cool

the front runner to become the Saints next coach, said the team also make “little adjustments” over the course of the season to keep it effective.

“It’s tremendous work that those guys go into each and every week,” Moore said. “There’s a lot more detail than people probably anticipate. There’s a lot of detail and a lot of work that go into it. Our guys execute at a really high level.”

The Eagles ﬁrst started running the play in 2022. Sirianni said the formation which involves putting two players behind the quarterback for the extra shove — “developed over time,” particularly when the Eagles failed to convert short third downs against the Kansas City Chiefs the year prior Sirianni also pointed to his experience with Jacoby Brissett in Indianapolis, when the then-coordinator realized how successful the quarterback was at quarterback sneaks.

“You don’t run the play either unless you have the guys to run the play,” Sirianni said.

little bit because I know the guys that we have and I know the coaching, all the time the coaches put into coaching that play and the detail.” Mailata said it’s the detail from the coaching staff that separates the Eagles’ Tush Push from the rest of the league. They’ve ﬁgured out the angles, the timing and where the “wall should hit,” he said.

Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who is considered

The Eagles still have the guys. Hurts is stronger than his 6-foot-1, 223-pound frame suggests. The offensive line is also among the largest in the league, bookended by tackles Mailata (6-8, 365 pounds) and Lane Johnson (6-6, 325 pounds).

Even Kelce’s replacement — center Cam Jurgens — clocks in at 6-3, 303 pounds.

“(He has) the ability to create his own shoes, (and he’s) not worried about ﬁlling Jason Kelce’s,” Mailata said.

Email Matthew Paras at matt paras@theadvocate.com

Saints’ ﬁrst “franchise quarterback without a real franchise.”

Throughout the night, a steady parade of fans, friends and wellwishers dropped by the table to greet Manning, including NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

“Get used to it,” joked Kevin Clifford, a former quarterback at Wabash College and longtime family friend of the Mannings, who was sitting at the table that night. “Over the years, I’ve taken thousands of pictures with Archie. Everyone wants to meet and be around him.”

At the end of the night, Goodell came by to say goodbye. He asked Manning whether he wanted to attend Super Bowl LIX as his guest and sit next to him in his suite. Manning graciously declined the invitation.

“You should come watch the game with me, Roger,” Manning said. “I’ve got a better seat — in my study.”

The bookcase-lined study is Manning’s favorite room in the

and special.”

For a long time, Reis tried to downplay his role. It wasn’t like he was Drew Brees, that game’s MVP, or Tracy Porter, whose picksix in the fourth quarter clinched the win. He, with his 48 career NFL games, wasn’t 16-year veteran Thomas Morstead (271 games) either He simply was in the right place at the right time and fell on a football. At least, that is how Reis used to view Ambush, until he opened himself up to feel the play’s lasting impact on people. Every year around this time, he ﬁnds himself revisiting the play, getting transported back through time and space to the moment he fell on a

third-ﬂoor St. Charles Avenue condo he and Olivia moved to three years ago. It’s just a few blocks down the road from the famous Garden District house on First Avenue they called home for 39 years. The condo overlooks the parade route during Mardi Gras. Clifford and Walter Isaacson are neighbors.

“We love it,” Manning said.

“When Olivia and I moved out of our apartment in Metairie and bought the house Uptown, we were kind of saying, ‘There are Metairies all over the world, but there’s only one Uptown New Orleans.’ ”

Likewise, there is only one Archie Manning. He is a civic treasure, a Saint through and through.

Wednesday’s announcement further burnishes his enduring legacy here. We are fortunate he calls New Orleans home.

Email Jeff Duncan at jduncan@ theadvocate.com.

ball in Miami. While he’s there, he often ﬁnds himself sitting in someone’s living room, experiencing it through their eyes. Something exactly like that may never happen again. And Reis is OK with that.

“It’s kind of nice to be the only one left,” he said. “Everybody wants to be remembered for something, and I’m honored to be remembered for that. So part of me grieved a little bit because it won’t happen again but part of me rejoices because I get to stay in that moment with the Who Dat nation.”

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Archie Manning holds an award during a Louisiana Legacy ceremony that honored him and his family at the Louisiana NOW Pavilion on Wednesday.

SUPERDOME NEW ORLEANS KANSAS CITy CHIEFS (15-2) VS. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (14-3)

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARCIO J SANCHEZ

into the end zone for a touchdown against the Kansas City

Chiefs are really enjoying N.O.’s cuisine

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

As a native of Houston, Mississippi, Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones had spent some time in New Orleans before his team descended here this week for its Super Bowl LIX matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles. He knows the best way to spend time in the Crescent City, and he’s been making the most of what’s available to him this week.

“A lot of good food,” Jones said. “I’ve been to like 10 restaurants to get oysters — you know, I’m on the oyster tour right now.” Jones said his family and friends will arrive Friday, which has given him time to explore the city and its culinary delights on his own. Kansas City has a packed schedule this week, but the players have some free time in the evenings, and Jones has used it to track down the best oysters he can ﬁnd.

“I went to Acme, I went to Mr Ed’s, I went to Mr B’s, I went to Drago’s,” Jones said. “It depends on what you’re looking for If you’re looking for all-around courses, I would go to GW Fins, a pretty classic restaurant. Just oysters? I keep ﬁnding myself at Drago’s, I don’t know why, but I keep finding myself there. Drago’s oysters? Ten out of 10.”

He’s not the only member of the Chiefs team to have sampled the legendary local fare, but he might be the most adventurous.

Most of the players polled about the best food they’ve tried in the city so far have said it has been part of a dinner they organized with their position group.

Drue Tranquill said the Chiefs linebackers spent a night at Brennan’s, which he’d tried before on a previous visit to the city

“It’s a long week, so whenever we can have time to connect with each other, it adds good ﬂavor to

the week.”

Most of the other position groups went to local steakhouses for their big night out. Juju Smith-Schuster said the receivers went to Desi Vega’s, which he described as “ﬁre.” Carson Wentz said starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes took the quarterbacks and offensive line out to a nearby steakhouse, though he declined to say which one.

“I’ve never seen so much meat on the table,” Wentz said. “It was big time. There was some Wagyu in there, there was a lot of stuff.”

Safety Justin Reid is a Louisiana native, growing up about an hour east of the team hotel in Prairieville.

He’s spent plenty of time in New Orleans, and he’s been handing out suggestions for the best places to eat in the city His top recommendation has been Doris Metropolitan, and that is where he took the team’s defensive backs for a dinner

Reid also told the team that “if it feels cramped inside, like there’s not enough space, it’s probably a good spot.”

But, because he is somewhat local, he hasn’t felt compelled to get out and try a lot of new stuff. Reid’s older brother, former LSU and San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid, owns a home in New Orleans and has hosted several family meals this week.

“I’ve been trying to be low-key and enjoy time with the family,” Reid said.

Running back Samaje Perine described himself as a homebody and he’s been content to eat the meals provided at the team hotel. But he did make an excursion to sample Willie Mae’s fried chicken, which he enjoyed.

And, predictably the offensive linemen might be helping prop up the local food economy this week.

“We went to Daisy Duke’s for lunch one of the days and we had

all the staples; the red beans and rice, the jambalaya, the gumbo, a shrimp po-boy, and that was great,” guard Mike Caliendo said. “We loved it. Then a couple nights ago we went to Doris Metropolitan, and the steak was incredible. We had a heck of a meal there.” It hasn’t just been the food that Caliendo has experienced though. The area around the team hotel has been chaotic, which has made getting around tough. But he’s enjoyed his walks through the French Quarter when he’s had the time.

“Walking down Chartres, that street, walking down there feels like when we were in Frankfurt. “It felt like we were teleported to Europe. This is wild. The shops, the bookstores, all that, it was very unique. I’ve never seen something like that in the U.S.”

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

Analyst Pereira dismisses ‘myth’ of Chiefs favoritism by refs

BY JOSH DUBOW

walked out to his spot during Fox’s media day and was greeted by a larger contingent of reporters than usual for an officiating expert when there were Super Bowl-winning coaches and players around the room. For the past few weeks, the officials have been nearly as big of a story as the players on the field thanks to mostly online conspiracy theories that NFL officials are biased in favor of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs It’s an allegation that Pereira

called a misguided “myth,” that Commissioner Roger Goodell called “ridiculous” and the head of the ofﬁciating union called “insulting.”

But the feeling still persists among some headed into the Super Bowl matchup on Sunday between the Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.

“I’m sad that it’s the story,” said Pereira, who has worked as an onfield official, the head of the NFL officiating department and now serves as the officiating expert in Fox’s broadcast booth. “I think it puts more pressure on the officials on Sunday They’re not going

to officiate the game any differently but they know they’re going into the game as part of the story, which doesn’t usually happen. I feel badly for the ofﬁcials. I feel badly for the game, because from our standpoint, (favoritism) just doesn’t happen.”

A handful of high-proﬁle calls in the playoffs that have gone in Kansas City’s favor have fueled the theories of favoritism, with Houston getting penalized for two illegal hits on Mahomes in the divisional round and Josh Allen being ruled just short of converting a fourthand-1 sneak in Kansas City’s 32-29 victory over Buffalo in the AFC

championship game.

But a deeper look at all penalties shows no signs of systematic bias.

The Chiefs have been penalized for 120 more yards than their opponents in the regular season and playoffs since the start of the 2022 playoffs.

Kansas City has also benefited from 10 fewer ﬁrst downs by penalty on third or fourth down in that span and has had only a small edge in penalty-yard differential in the fourth quarter or overtime of close games. Pereira said the content of the criticism isn’t much different than what he heard as the head of ofﬁciating from 2001-09 but intensi-

ty is different thanks to the modern media environment.

“I didn’t have social media to deal with,” he said. “Everything grows so fast in social media now You have zero control over it and little things can grow so quickly that the whole world knows them.”

Fox officiating analyst Dean Blandino, who was the NFL’s vice president of officiating from 201317, said he believes that the NFL should be more transparent about officiating by allowing TV broadcasts to air discussions between officials and the replay crew like has been done in some spring leagues to gain more trust with fans.

NEW ORLEANS Mike Pereira

The dust begins to settle from NBA trade deadline

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

The ﬁnal numbers from the trade deadline: no fewer than eight current and past All-Stars some of them recent All-NBA selections, some among the league’s highest scorers and even three Olympic gold medalists, all headed to new homes.

Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis got blindsided by a blockbuster De’Aaron Fox gets to throw lobs to Victor Wembanyama now. Jimmy Butler got his wish, sort of. P.J. Tucker has, on paper, been on four teams in about a week. Dennis Schroder was basically part of four teams in the span of about 18 hours. Zach LaVine went to Sacramento, a place he considers home. It’s over It was wild, but the trade deadline has passed. Thursday at 3 p.m. Eastern has come and gone and more than a few teams — the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas, Miami, Golden State, San Antonio, Sacramento, Milwaukee and Charlotte among them have to be feeling good about what they pulled off over the last few days.

“That’s the NBA that we live in,” said LaVine, who went from Chicago to Sacramento, a team that he signed an offer sheet with in 2018 and now gets to ﬁnally play for after all this time.

“And that’s the business of basketball.

Teams navigated their ways around ﬁrst aprons, second aprons, tax lines and more. Some did it with an eye on the future. Some did it with eyes on contending now, like the move that brought Butler to the Warriors. The Lakers did it with eyes on both now and the future, ﬁguring Doncic alongside LeBron James will be great immediately and betting that Doncic if they can keep him will be the face of the franchise for years to come.

“We’re talking about a 25-yearold that is a top-three player in the universe,” Lakers general manag-

er Rob Pelinka said. “I can’t think of a more amazing starting point to build a roster for the next decade.”

Phoenix was Butler’s preferred destination after his relationship with Miami deteriorated and couldn’t be salvaged Talks surrounding Kevin Durant were had; Durant stayed with the Suns, as did Bradley Beal and Devin Booker In the end, it was Golden State that got the Butler deal done at a big price, with Andrew Wiggins leading the list of what the Warriors had to give up.

Warriors guard Stephen Curry texted Butler at halftime of the Golden State-Utah game Wednesday night. Butler sent a response; Curry didn’t say what it was, other than revealing it was “a very pleasant message.” “I understand there’s a lot of drama down there and who really knows what the story is,” Curry said. “We expect to have a motivated, committed Jimmy that’s ready to impact our team for the better Got to work out the kinks of what it looks like and I’m excited to get to work and kind of feed off the energy of something new.”

Butler has been an Olympic gold

medalist, like Davis and Khris Middleton (who got sent to Washington after a long, great run in Milwaukee). Doncic, Davis, Butler and Fox were recent All-NBA picks; that list doesn’t include Minnesota’s Julius Randle and New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, who were swapped for one another as camps were beginning last fall. LaVine has been an All-Star, as has Brandon Ingram — sent from New Orleans to Toronto. Big names. Big moves. Some big risks were taken. Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland added De’Andre Hunter from the Hawks, while defending champion Boston kept its core basically intact. Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City already had its trade-deadline acquisition; Chet Holmgren is back after missing three months with a hip injury Game on. The All-Star break starts next week, then the stretch run awaits.

“It’s just turning the page and moving forward,” Heat forward Kevin Love said “I think it’s been — considering the whole Luka-AD trade and everything that’s kind of happened since — in some ways unprecedented.”

on an expiring contract. Then, as Ingram’s rehab lingered on longer than expected, the Pelicans stopped giving updates on his status. The handwriting was on the wall at that point. Now Ingram heads to Toronto in exchange for Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk, a ﬁrst-round draft pick and a second-round draft pick. He’ll be more than 2,000 miles away from New Orleans. That’s also about how far away the Pelicans (12-39) are from being playoff contenders. The Ingram, Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum and Dejounte Murray era never took off. In fact, Ingram, Williamson and Murray never played a single game together Ingram and Williamson, who both arrived in New Orleans in 2019, played just 154 games together That equates to a little less than two full seasons together for two guys who have been teammates for 51/2 years. While it’s always tough for a team to lose one of its best players, you can’t blame the Pelicans for making this move. They felt the need to get something in return for Ingram instead of letting him sign elsewhere in free agency The emergence of Trey Murphy, averaging 34.5 points over the last four games, surely made the decision to move on from Ingram much easier

B.I. doesn’t just stand for Brandon Ingram. It also stands for “Business Intelligence” in this case.

Ingram’s time in New Orleans was highlighted by him winning the Most Improved Player award and making an NBA All-Star game. Those should outweigh the lowlights, which include a slew of injuries and a dismal performance in last season’s playoffs when the Pelicans got swept in the ﬁrst round by the Oklahoma City Thunder “It’s tough,” Ingram said that night. “We always knew it was a possibility we could go home tonight. But sitting in that locker room and it’s like, ‘Damn, this is our last day.’ ” Wednesday the eve of the trade deadline, ended up being Ingram’s last day as a Pelican. It’s a trade that feels a lot like one the Saints made in early November when they traded Marshon Lattimore. Both Ingram and Lattimore will go down as arguably the best player at their position in their team’s history Both were plagued by injuries. Jose Alvarado, one of Ingram’s closest friends on the team, went to social media and posted a sad face emoji moments after the news about the trade happened. That sad face also can be worn by the Pelicans fans and front ofﬁce, who lost one of the best players in franchise history in a career that never really reached its full potential. Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.

SCOREBOARD

Reeves 14:57 1-3 0-0 0-0

Rbnsn-Erl 13:57 1-4 0-0 0-3 0 0 2 Brooks Jr. 2:46 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 Totals240:0043-9323-2610-382610119

Percentages: FG .462, FT .885. 3-Point Goals: 10-29, .345 (McCollum 3-6, Murphy III 2-4, Hawkins 2-6, Green 1-2, Matkovic 1-3, Reeves 1-3, Robinson-Earl 0-1, Cain 0-4).

Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 3 (Matkovic 2, Murphy III). Turnovers: 11 (McCollum 3, Williamson 3 Murphy III 2, Cain, Matkovic, Missi).

Steals: 5 (Williamson 2, Hawkins, Matkovic, McCollum). Technical Fouls: None. FGFTReb DEN Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS

Gordon 30:40 2-9 2-2 1-4 12 2 7 Porter Jr.36:4316-23 2-2 6-12 4 1 39

Jokic 35:42 15-28 3-3 2-8 10 3 38 Braun 29:02 8-12 6-6 2-9 3 3 23 J.Murray35:40 5-7 0-0 0-2 6 2 10 Strawther24:014-10 0-0 0-2

S.Jones 2:07 1-2

Totals240:0057-10014-1513-514021 144 Percentages: FG .570, FT .933. 3-Point Goals: 16-43, .372 (Porter Jr. 5-9, Jokic

5-13, Strawther 2-6, S.Jones 1-2, Tyson 1-2, Braun 1-3, Gordon 1-4, Nnaji 0-1, Pickett 0-1 J.Murray 0-2). Team Rebounds: 3. Team Turnovers: 2. Blocked Shots: 4 (Braun, Gordon, Jokic, Nnaji). Turnovers: 7 (Porter Jr. 3, Braun, J.Murray Jokic, Strawther). Steals: 9 (Braun 3, Porter Jr. 3, Gordon, Jokic, Pickett). Technical Fouls: None. New Orleans36322724119 Denver36324531—144 A_19,526 (19,520). T_2:06. Pro football Super Bowl LIX Sunday, Feb. 9 At New Orleans Kansas City vs. Philadelphia, 5:30 p.m. (FOX) College

C.White 0-3, M.Thomas 0-3) Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers:

Blocked Shots: 3 (Cook, Hardy, Wright). Turnovers: 6 (El Moutaouakkil 2, M.Thomas 2, Cook, Garnett) Steals: 5 (Hardy 3, Garnett, Wright). Technical Fouls: None. FGFTReb GSU Min M-A

1-3, Lawrence 1-3, Leffew 1-4, Godfrey 0-1). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: 2. Blocked Shots: 4 (Cyril 3, A.Newell) Turnovers: 11 (Lawrence 3, Cyril 2, A.Newell, Demary, Godfrey, James, Leffew, Montgomery). Steals: 10 (Demary 3, Montgomery 3, Leffew 2, A.Newell, Cain). Technical Fouls: None. LSU3131—62 Georgia3744—81 A_7,193 (10,523). Women’s state schedule Wednesday’s games No games scheduled. Thursday’s games Grambling at Alabama A&M, n Southern at Alabama State, n Texas A&M-Commerce at McNeese, n Southeastern at Houston Christian, n Northwestern State at Nicholls, n UNO at UIW, n LSU at Missouri, n Friday’s games No games scheduled. Women’s national scores Thursday’s games SOUTH Tennessee St. 70, W. Illinois 66 MIDWEST Cleveland St. 72, Detroit 55 Golf Founders Cup Thursday At Bradenton Country Club Bradenton, Fla. Purse: $2 million Yardage: 6,465; Par: 71 First Round Nanna Koerstz Madsen 33-32—65 6 Jennifer Kupcho 34-31—65 -6

Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers:

Blocked Shots: 3 (T.Brown 3) Turnovers: 8 (N.White 3, E.Brown

Douglas). Steals: 4 (Holiman 2, Brafford, Douglas) Technical Fouls: None. Louisiana-Lafayette414

Georgia Southern3845—8

(5,500)

Lauren Coughlin 33-33—66 -5 Jin Hee Im 34-32—66 5 Angel Yin 33-33—66 -5

Celine Boutier 32-35—67 4 Minami Katsu 35-32—67 -4 Jin Young Ko 34-33—67 -4 Mi Hyang Lee 36-31—67 4 Jeongeun Lee6 32-35—67 -4

Sarah Schmelzel 34-33—67

-2

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By KEVORK DJANSEZIAN

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, left, and guard Luka Doncic talk during a game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday in Inglewood, Calif.

CALLING ALL CREATIVES

The Mid City Micro-Con is the place to be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.The Main Library a Goodwood, 7711 Goodwood Blvd., will offer an arts and comics market, games, workshops, cosplay show and tell, food trucks, author Alex Jennings and more. midcitymicrocon@gmail.com.

Larry Carlton’s studio work included New Orleans songwriter and pianist Allen Toussaint’s 1978 album, ‘Motion.’

GUITAR GREAT

Larry Carlton bringing his collabs, solo songs to Baton Rouge next week

BY JOHN WIRT

Contributing writer

In 2023, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Larry Carlton No 85 on its list of the 250 “greatest guitarists of all time.”

“You can’t plan something like that,” the modest four-time Grammy winner said last week. “I’ve just played the best I’ve known how to play through all of my career. People responded and I’m thankful.”

Carlton’s six decades as a frontman and a valuable supporting player include recording sessions with Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Michael Jackson, Allen Toussaint, Herb Alpert, Quincy Jones, Dolly Parton and the “Hill Street Blues” theme that won him a Grammy for best pop instrumental performance.

The solos Carlton created for Steely Dan’s “Kid Charlemagne” and the Doobie Brothers’ “Minute by Minute” are among his greatest hits. No doubt those songs will be on his setlist when he and his ﬁvepiece band perform Thursday, Feb 13, at the Manship Theatre.

The band features drummer Keith Carlock, a member of Steely Dan’s touring entourage since 2003. Carlock’s recording and road credits include John Mayer, Sting, James Taylor, Toto, Chris Botti, Harry Belafonte, Bootsy Collins and Michael Bublé.

“It’s great to have Keith Carlock there when we do the Steely stuff,” Carlton said. “It sounds right.” Carlton’s concerts hit highlights

ä See GUITAR, page 8C

BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer

Maybe the girls thought it was cool at ﬁrst. They could walk through the night streets without worrying about streetlights guiding their way, because

MODEL BEHAVIOR

BY JUDY BERGERON Staff writer

Ask Kamari Love about her long-term goals, and she’s off and running.

The cover of Vogue, Realtor licenses in both Texas and California, a certiﬁcation in neurolinguistic programming with an emphasis on hypnosis. Oh, and an Oscar and an Emmy Yes, the woman’s got plans.

Television viewers can catch her on the second season of NBC’s “Deal or No Deal Island.” She’s not one of those competing for thousands, sometimes millions, of dollars. Instead, she’s a banker’s assistant (called briefcase models in the original “Deal or No Deal”).

Picture the reimagining of the game show as a cross between the original “Deal” and CBS’ longtime “Survivor” competition series. Sub out a Hollywood studio for Panama’s Bocas del Toro, Joe Manganiello for Howie Mandel, and throw in a bunch of physical and mental challenges.

Here, the Louisiana native, 32, who’s dividing her time between Dallas and Los Angeles right now, discusses her career paths, her beloved New Orleans and her hair in the Panamanian heat.

What is the typical day as a game show banker’s assistant?

When we go to “The Temple” (where the classic “Deal or No Deal” game part of the show takes place), we’re always involved as the briefcase models that viewers are familiar with. In the off time, Ben (Crofchick, the other banker’s assistant) and I would switch off in assisting with the challenges.

If we’re not, then we’re usually resting, working out, doing our same routine. It’s better to stay in ﬂow and stay in motion when you’re battling the elements of the jungle and working long hours.

How did your hair and the humidity get along?

That’s so funny because I actually have this big beautiful afro, and I love my curls. Usually, they do really well in humid climates, but that was almost too humid. My natural curls were shrinking quite drastically, and I love it when they’re big.

First season, I just had my natural hair We usually slicked it back to a nice sleek ponytail, and I had different ponytail extensions on just to keep it sleek and classy This year, since I knew it was gonna be the rainy season, I went with a Bohemian braid, which was really cool because we got to just do a variety of different styles.

Tell us about your early life in New Orleans.

I was in New Orleans until I was about 8 years old. I was in Dallas from 9 to 22 years old, and I was in Los Angeles all that time after that. I was in Dallas a lot longer, but I claim Louisiana ﬁrst because those are my true roots. I’m sort of in between Los Angeles and Texas right now

Were you affected by the Los Angeles wildfires at all?

Where I was living in Encino was evacuated, so, by the grace of God, I was able to remove myself before that happened. Luckily, all of my people were safe No one lost their houses, so I feel very grateful and blessed for that.

ä See DEAL, page 8C

Louisiana native Kamari Love is back for Season 2 of NBC’s ‘Deal or No Deal Island.’

PROVIDED PHOTO By PATRICK ECCLESINE/NBC

ark and Jersey City, as well as Ottawa, Illinois, and Waterbury, Connecticut.

But it’s the Orange location that takes center stage in “Radium Girls,” where Grace Fryer, played by Isabella Walton; Irene Rudolph, played by Carissa Murray;

PROVIDED PHOTO

PROVIDED PHOTO By ARDEN HALE

From left, Camille Coco as Kathryn Isabella Walton as Grace and Carissa Murray as Irene are featured in Theatre Baton Rouge’s young Actors Program production, ‘Radium Girls.

GUITAR

Continued from page 7C

from his solo recordings and his contributions to classics by Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers and the Crusaders.

“We’ll do audience favorites of mine like ‘Smiles and Smiles to Go,’ the Doobies’ ‘Minute by Minute’ and Crusaders tunes as a tribute to my years with them,” he said. “I usually close with two or three Steely Dan songs. People want to hear me play those solos.”

Carlton never toured with Steely Dan, but he joined the group in 2009 as a guest for eight shows, ﬁve nights at the Beacon Theater in New York City and three nights in Los Angeles.

“We opened with ‘Kid Charlemagne,’ ” he recalled. “The audience stood up and applauded. It was a great time.”

Next year will be Carlton’s 60th year of professional music-making.

A Southern California native, he began performing in L.A. clubs when he was still a high school student. A fan of jazz masters Joe Pass and John Coltrane as well as bluesmen B.B. King and Albert King, he describes himself as a jazz-inﬂuenced guitarist.

“The school thought that I was working at a music store,” he remembered. “But I went home, went to sleep and then got up to play in clubs all night, six nights a week.”

Carlton launched his studio musician career in 1969.

DEAL

Continued from page 7C

Of course, my heart aches for my city So many other people were not that fortunate So my heart goes out to Los Angeles, whether I’m there or not for sure. And I look forward to seeing our city come back much stronger What led to your big move out to LosAngeles eight years ago?

I was in Dallas working a corporate job, and I was not happy

I knew I needed to do something creative. I knew I needed to pave my own way, and I had been getting the call the pull, to go to L.A I packed up, moved out here, and I happened to get a job During that time, I realized modeling and acting were really calling me. Around that same time, I met my ﬁrst photographerturned-acting friend, and before I knew it, I was signed with nine agents all over the world. I’ve been very successful, so it’s a true testament that when you have a calling and it’s ready for you, answer the call. Walk us through your appearance in Vogue.

I had a national commercial that launched years ago that was everywhere in print for three years. Naomi Campbell was on the cover It was so funny be-

By The Associated Press

Today is Friday, Feb. 7, the 38th day of 2025. There are 327 days left in the year

Today in history

On Feb. 7, 1964, the Beatles were met by thousands of screaming fans at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport as they arrived to begin their ﬁrst American tour On this date:

AN EVENING WITH LARRY CARLTON

7:30 p.m.Thursday ● Manship Theatre, 100 Lafayette St. ● $50-$70 ● manshiptheatre.org

“My name was floating around as this young guy who plays really good,” he recalled. “If so and so couldn’t make a session, they’d call me. I learned a lot during those ﬁrst few years about how to be a session musician.”

His studio work included New Orleans songwriter and pianist Allen Toussaint’s 1978 album, “Motion.” Produced by Jerry Wexler, the album pairs the funky, soulful Toussaint with slick L.A. studio pros such as Toto co-founder Jeff Porcaro.

Working in the busy L.A. studio scene, Carlton joined elite studio players who helped craft thousands of hits and classics. These instrumentalists, arrangers and producers included two New Orleans and Louisiana expats, drummer Earl Palmer and saxophonist Plas Johnson (the original “The Pink Panther” theme).

Carlton most often worked with the prolific Palmer the New Orleans native said to be the 20th century’s most recorded drummer

“Earl was always a gentleman and a pro,” Carlton said. “As a young guy breaking into the studio scene, I appreciated that.

Like Palmer, Carlton set his player’s ego aside in the studio.

cause I had a Vogue subscription, but that was the one that I just hadn’t ﬂipped through yet.

A friend sent me a picture and said, “Oh my gosh, did you know you’re in the magazine?”

So I go to my nightstand, and I open up Vogue, and there I am. It was one of those where my Afro is out, and it’s big. It was a Plan B commercial, so it just went absolutely everywhere, and it was so, so, so cool. It wasn’t technically for a high fashion job yet. That’ll be next.

Where did your interest in mental health advocacy originate?

Mental health always has been very important to me. I’ve had family members with a lot of struggles I’ve had my own struggles that I battled, and it led me to become a psychology major in college

My whole purpose, even through acting, is to heal the collective and to help raise the vibration of humanity quite literally I would like to combine my passion of acting in the industry, as well as counseling, and bridge the gap for mental health and actors. We’ve had the Heath Ledgers, the Robin Williamses, Michael K. Williams — so many amazing actors fall before us because they just simply did not have the right outlet for their mental health.

These actors are so great at what they do, but they often come

In 1904, the Great Baltimore Fire began; one of the worst city ﬁres in American history, it destroyed over 1,500 buildings in central Baltimore.

In 2013, Mississippi certified its ratification of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, making it the last state to officially abolish slavery In 2023, Lebron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time career scoring

“I was there to give the producer, the songwriter and the artist the best I had to give,” he said. “Oftentimes, they would have ideas for what the guitar part should be, but sometimes I said, ‘What if we try this?’ But always as a servant, an attitude that serves any studio musician well.”

The guitarist’s studio sessions also included former Baton Rouge resident Johnny Rivers’ “L.A. Reggae” album plus the singer’s recording of the theme for TV’s “The Midnight Special.” Unfortunately, a studio booking with another artist prevented Carlton from playing for the “L.A. Reggae” album’s big hit, a remake of Huey “Piano” Smith’s “Rocking Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu.” In 1972, Rivers’ rendition of “Rocking Pneumonia” reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. “I couldn’t make it, so Dean Parks played the great solo on ‘Rocking Pneumonia’ for Johnny,” Carlton remembered. “But then I came in the next three nights, with Dean, to ﬁnish the album.”

A few weeks away from his 77th birthday, Carlton plays a limited number of concerts.

“I’m happy to say I’m healthy and I love being a grandpa. Life is good. But music will always be part of my life. We’ll do 20 to 25 dates a year Every time we play, it’s relaxed and fun. We don’t have anything to prove. We’re just there to make music.”

Email John Wirt at j_wirt@msn. com.

from dark, traumatic places to evoke the type of emotion they bring us in roles like “The Dark Knight” and “The Wire.”

What we’re missing is someone who can not only coach people into bringing those emotions to the surface for the role, but someone who is there to help people process those emotions so that they don’t just get shoved back down. Where does the hypnosis come in?

That’s more of a long-term goal. I’m in the process of getting certified in neurolinguistic programming with an emphasis on hypnosis. It will allow me to counsel people and give them tools for PTSD, past traumas, everything. I’ll actually be able to help coach people through these things and remove them from their lives. Where do you see yourself in five years? With an Oscar and an Emmy for sure, 1,000%. I say that so humbly, but so confidently I’ve done the work, and I’ve been in classes, in schools. I’ve done this for so long, but that’s always been the goal. I know I have the talent that it takes, and I’m going to continue to work on my skills and refine those skills because the work’s never done.

I’m going to stay focused on that, and then we’ll circle back in ﬁve years and have to revisit this conversation.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

leader Today’s birthdays: Author Gay Talese is 93. Sen.John Hickenlooper, DColo., is 73. Actor James Spader is 65. Country singer Garth Brooks is 63. Actor-comedian Eddie Izzard is 63. Actor-comedian Chris Rock is 60. Actor Essence Atkins is 53. Basketball Hall of Famer Steve Nash is 51. Actor Ashton Kutcher is 47. Actor Deborah Ann Woll is 40. NFL quarterback Matthew Stafford is 37.

FRIDAY

LIVE MUSIC: Cane River Pecan Company Pie Bar, New Iberia, 5 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s Brick Oven Pizza & Brewery, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6 p.m.

ETHAN HUNT: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Randol’s Cajun Restaurant, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

THE CAST: Agave, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m.

MAJOR HANDY BLUES BAND: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 6:30 p.m.

SECOND CHANCE: Agave Downtown, Lafayette, 6:30 p.m.

DJ TRASHY: The Ruins Lounge, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

THREE AM: The Grouse Room, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

LA ROXX: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Cowboys Nightclub, Scott, 10 p.m.

SATURDAY DONNY BROUSSARD BAND: Fred’s, Mamou, 8 a.m.

CAJUN JAM: Moncus Park, Lafayette, 9 a.m.

SATURDAY MORNING JAM SESSIONS: The Savoy Music Center, Eunice, 9 a.m.

CAJUN JAM: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

ZYDECO CAPITAL JAM: St. Landry Parish Visitor Center, Opelousas, 1 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Jim Deggy’s Brick Oven Pizza & Brewery, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Prejean’s, Broussard, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Randol’s Cajun Restaurant, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

STRAIGHT WHISKEY: Agave, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m.

GENO DELAFOSE & FRENCH ROCKIN’

BOOGIE: La Poussiere Cajun Dancehall, Breaux Bridge, 8 p.m.

ABSINTHE MINDED FEATURING FRANK BALL & JON SMITH: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

AMIS DU TECHE: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

JAY DA WIZARD: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

KIP SONNIER: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 8 p.m.

KROSSFYRE: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

SHOTGUN LILLIE: The Grouse Room, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

ZYDECO JAY & CREOLE PRESSURE: O’Darby’s Pub & Grill, Carencro, 10 p.m.

SUNDAY

LES FRERES MICHOT: Prejean’s Restaurant, Lafayette, 11:30 a.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.

CAJUN JAM: Bayou Teche Brewing, Arnaudville, 2 p.m.

STOP THE CLOCK COUNTRY JAZZ: Feed n’ Seed, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

‘RADIUM’

Continued from page 7C

“They were told to lick their paintbrush before dipping it into the paint,” Murphy said. “They were told that the paint was safe.”

Of course, it wasn’t. The dust from the radium paint coated their skin, hair and clothes, which accounts for why they glowed in the dark. Meanwhile, the ingested alpha radium from licking paintbrushes destroyed their bones from the inside out.

Sounds pretty brutal, right?

Well, D.W Gregory didn’t promise a pretty story when recounting the Radium Girls’ experience. She did, however, compose a very human story, which not only traces the girls’ experiences but who they were.

GLENN ZERINGUE: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Randol’s Cajun Restaurant, Breaux Bridge, 6:30 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: O’Darby’s Pub & Grill, Carencro, 6:30 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6:30 p.m.

HORACE TRAHAN & OSSUN EXPRESS: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

MONDAY PATRICIO LATINO SOLO: Cafe Habana City, Lafayette, 11 a.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: O’Darby’s Pub & Grill, Carencro, 6 p.m.

RICHARD GOULA DISTINGUISHED PIANO SERIES | ANTONIO DI CRISTOFANO: UL’s Angelle Hall, Lafayette, 7 p.m

BLUE MONDAY: The Grouse Room, Lafayette, 9 p.m.

TUESDAY

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

TERRY HUVAL & FRIENDS: Prejean’s Restaurant, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

DULCIMER JAM: St. Landry Visitor Center, Opelousas, 10 a.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

WANTED WEDNESDAY KARAOKE NIGHT: The Barrel, Broussard, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Tap Room, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m.

CAJUN JAM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

THURSDAY

AFTER FIVE FEATURING DJ MIKE

JAMEZ: The Ruins Lounge, Lafayette, 5 p.m

JACOB RHYMES: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

JC MELANCON: Agave, Youngsville, 6 p.m

LIVE MUSIC: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 6 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

LADIES NIGHT WITH DJ DONOVAN: Cowboys Nightclub, Scott, 6 p.m.

SOUND BITE OPEN MIC HOSTED BY ABI CLAIR: Wildcat Brothers at Gator Cove, Lafayette, 6 p.m.

TROUBADOUR: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.

STEVE CONN FEATURING SONNY LANDRETH: Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m.

SAM HYDE & MILLION DOLLAR

EXTREME — LIVE: DoubleTree by Hilton, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m.

YEAH, COMEDY! A STANDUP COMEDY OPEN MIC + SPECIAL GUEST: Legends Pub, Lafayette, 8 p.m.

Compiled by Marchaund Jones. Want your venue’s music listed? Email info/photos to showstowatch@theadvocate. com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY for the following Friday’s paper

This brings up the question as to why they would work in such a situation when anything radioactive is presumably dangerous?

Well, Marie Curie was conducting her own experiments at the time with the belief that radium provided health beneﬁts and was a cure for cancer

“And some people did benefit from it,” Murphy said.

Meaning there was no sense of danger on the horizon at the time But that would change with the death of one of the Radium Girls, followed by the sickness of others.

Even Curie suffered from the radium with which she was experimenting. She now is interred in a lead-lined tomb in the Pantheon Monument in Paris, France.

“As for the Radium Girls, their bones are still glowing in their graves to this day,” Murphy said.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Formulate a plan and stick to it Your determination and courage will help you recognize that you have the power and positive attitude to get things done. You've got this.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Observation is necessary to sidestep drama. Focus on something that pleases you or makes you feel good about yourself. Social events will allow you to charm people.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) More action, less talk. How you deal with concerns will impact and influence those you encounter. Laboring over something you cannot change won't get you where you want to go.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) You may crave change, but first consider why you feel this way and what's involved. Review your finances and think about how to lower your overhead. Helping others or a cause is honorable if it's within your budget.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Concentrate on helping yourself before focusing on helping others. Make gaining stability a priority, and you will be in a better position to make a difference. A change will do you good.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Combine energy, integrity and determination, and you'll rise above anyone who gets in your way. Embrace what resonates with you most, and don't hesitate to go directly to the source. Stand up.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Plant your feet firmly on the ground regardless of the

temptation you face. It's better to do what's right and avoid backlash than to take a risk that can cost you. Learn from your mistakes.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) A plan that frees up time looks promising, but first, build a safety net before you begin. Resist taking on too much prematurely. Set yourself up for success, not failure.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Remain calm, view the situation and summarize what it will take to navigate your way forward. Build a circle that supports your long-term goals, and you will gain momentum while gathering positive input to attract success.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) You'll have choices to make. Set priorities to ensure you reach your target. Take care of responsibilities before you indulge in socializing or creative endeavors. Your efforts will pay off.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Keep the momentum flowing. Don't let what others do put a strain on your plans. Follow your instincts and do whatever promises peace of mind and happiness.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Put your heart and soul into meaningful relationships, getting ahead and making your life sustainable. Change what doesn't feel right and say no to temptation and those trying to manipulate you.

McMeel Syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

TODAy'S CLUE: J EQUALS H

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

And erneSt

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM SherMAn’S LAGoon

nAte

Sudoku

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

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

BY PHILLIP ALDER

Robert Cooper, an English diplomat and strategist, said, “There is no dilemma compared with that of the deep-sea diver who hears the message from the ship above, ‘Come up at once. We are sinking.’ “ In this deal, declarer can put a defenderonthehornsofadilemma.Howshould SouthplayinfourheartsafterWestleads thediamondeight,andEastwinswithhis king, cashes the diamond ace, and plays a third round?

North made a cue-bid raise, showing heart support and at least game-invitational values. South’s jump to four hearts was a slight overbid, but he liked the idea of trying for a vulnerable game bonus.

Declarercanseefourlosers:onespade, two diamonds and one club. True, the club finesse might work, but it is surely alow-percentageplay,givenEast’sopening bid. However, because a discard is comingondummy’sdiamondjack,South can skewer East.

Heruffsthethirddiamondhigh,draws trumps ending on the board, and calls for the spade two. How does East defend?

If he wins with his spade ace, dummy’s club seven will eventually disappear on declarer’s spade king. So East plays low. Now, though, South wins with his king, plays a trump to the dummy, and pitches a spade on the diamond jack. Then he calls for the spade queen. East wins but is endplayed. If he leads a club, it is away from his king. Alternatively, if he plays a spade or diamond, declarer ruffs in his hand and sluffs the club seven from the board. © 2025 by NEA, Inc., dist.

By Andrews McMeel

Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,”

Average