“To have people who’ve never been to Louisiana get a taste of us and who we are, it’s a great opportunity.”
KARITOLLIVER,culinarystudentmakingpralinesfortheSuperBowl
SUPER SWEETS
Terrence Jones, founder and CEO of Louisiana Creole Pecan Candy Company,
out pralines Thursday at the W.D. and Mary Baker Smith Career
Culinary class takes part in praline candy production for Lafayette company supplying the Super Bowl
BY ASHLEY WHITE Staff writer
When Kari Tolliver sits down to watch the Super Bowl, she won’t be waiting for touchdowns and commercials.
The W.D. and Mary Baker Smith Career Center student will be looking for a silver foil pouch with a Creole-ish” sticker and a Louisiana Creole Pecan Candy Company praline inside It might just be a candy from the batch she made with her culinary classmates in Lafayette.
“To have people who’ve never been to Louisiana get a taste of us and who we are,” she said, “it’s a great opportunity.”
Kari and her peers made thousands of pralines under the supervision of Louisiana Creole Pecan Candy Company founder and CEO Terrence Jones and Career Center instructor and chef Theresa Edwards.
The Louisiana Creole Pecan Candy Company is the pecan praline supplier of the Super Bowl, being held in New Or-
leans on Sunday Jones’ company was one of 225 selected from more than 2000 applicants that will be supplying everything the Super Bowl needs this year
It’s a full-circle moment for Jones, who grew up in Lafayette and attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. When Beyoncé performed at the Super Bowl in 2013, Jones and his business fraternity brothers were cast as fans in her performance. Now, his company’s candies will appear in Superdome suites during the game, at the NFL Super Bowl Experience at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and at an NFL charity event before the game.
It’s supplying nearly 20,000 candies for VIPs and guests, Jones said.
To help fulfill all those orders, Jones reached out to Edwards, whom he met at a Louisiana Restaurant Association convention in 2022, to ask
ä See SWEETS, page 4A
Judge to halt leave for USAID workers
Ruling temporarily blocks plan to pull 2,200 off the job
BY ELLEN KNICKMEYER and MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON A federal judge on Friday dealt
President Donald Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk their first big setback in their dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, saying he will order a temporary halt to plans to pull thousands of agency staffers off the job.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who was nominated by Trump, sided with two federal employee associations in agreeing to a pause in plans to put 2,200 employees on paid leave as of midnight Friday Nichols stressed his order was not a decision on the employees’ request to roll back the administration’s swiftly moving destruction of the agency “CLOSE IT DOWN,” Trump said on social media of USAID before the judge’s ruling.
The American Foreign Service Association and the American Federation of Government Employees argue that Trump lacks the authority to shut down the six-decade-old aid agency without approval from Congress. Democratic lawmakers have made the same argument.
Trump’s administration moved quickly Friday literally to erase the agency’s name. Workers on a crane scrubbed the name from the stone front of its Washington headquarters. They used duct tape to block it out on a sign and took down USAID flags. Someone placed a bouquet of flowers outside the door
The Trump administration and Musk, who is
Experts weigh in on class comments
Suspended LSU law professor’s words draw rebukes, defenders
BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
LSU’s decision to suspend professor Ken Levy, who used vulgar language to criticize Gov Jeff Landry and President Donald Trump during a lecture, has roiled the law school and launched a high-profile legal battle.
At the heart of the controversy is a debate: Were Levy’s comments part of his right to free speech and academic freedom, the kind of intellectual discussion that tenure is meant to protect? Or were they demeaning and threatening to students,
ä See COMMENTS, page 4A
Concerns grow about bird flu impact on agriculture, public health
BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer
Professor Sarah Michaels, a medical entomologist, began a recent class at Tulane University with a discussion about the cheapest eggs in town.
Once an affordable source of protein, a dozen eggs — if you can find them on Louisiana shelves now averages around $7, accord-
ing to a price tracker The soaring price of eggs is a ripple effect of an ongoing outbreak of avian influenza, also known as H5N1 or bird flu, which has spread from wild birds to dairy and poultry farms, infected cats, and caused at least one human death in Louisiana the only recorded fatality from bird flu in the U.S. to date. As the outbreak worsens,
concerns about its impact on agriculture and public health continue to grow The virus has devastated poultry farms, spread to dairy cattle, and raised alarms among infectious disease experts over its potential to mutate. On Friday, poultry processing plants in New York shut down due to outbreaks among flocks, bringing the total
ä See FLU, page 4A
An ongoing outbreak of bird flu has sent the price of eggs soaring nationwide.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO ä See JUDGE, page 4A
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
watches as culinary student Miyah Benjamin Savoie scoops
Center in Lafayette.
Culinary student Kari Tolliver scoops out pralines on Thursday.
More active-duty troops going to Mexico border
WASHINGTON The Pentagon will deploy roughly 1,500 more active-duty soldiers to the southern border to support President Donald Trump’s expanding crackdown on immigration, a U.S. official said Friday
That would eventually bring the total to about 3,600 active duty troops at the border
The order has been approved, the official said, to send a logistics brigade from the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty in North Carolina. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the deployment has not yet been publicly announced
The Pentagon has been scrambling to put in motion Trump’s executive orders signed shortly after he took office on Jan. 20.
The first group of 1,600 active duty troops has already deployed to the border, and close to 500 more soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division are expected to begin moving in the coming days.
About 500 Marines also have been told to go to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where some of the detained migrants will be held.
Several hundred Marines have already arrived there.
Troops going to the border are expected to help put in place concertina wire barriers and provide needed transportation, intelligence and other support to the Border Patrol. The logistics brigade will help support and sustain the troops.
Troops going to Guantanamo are helping to prepare the facility for an influx of migrants and do other support duties.
Alaska Legislature asks Trump to retain ‘Denali’
JUNEAU, Alaska The Alaska Legislature passed a resolution Friday urging President Donald Trump to reverse course and retain the name of North America’s tallest peak as Denali rather than change it to Mount McKinley
Trump, on his first day in office, signed an executive order calling for the name to revert to Mount McKinley, an identifier inspired by President William McKinley, who was from Ohio and never set foot in Alaska. He said he planned to “restore the name of a great president, William McKinley, to Mount McKinley, where it should be and where it belongs. President McKinley made our country very rich through tariffs and through talent.”
The 19-0 vote in the state Senate came just over a week after the House passed the measure 31-8.
The Interior Department late last month announced efforts were underway to implement Trump’s renaming order, even though state leaders haven’t seen the matter as settled.
According to the National Park Service, a prospector in 1896 dubbed the 20,310-foot peak Mount McKinley for William McKinley, who was elected president that year
There was no recognition of the name Denali, or “the high one,” bestowed on the mountain in interior Alaska by Athabascan tribal members, who have lived in the region for centuries.
UCF frat sanctioned after hazing allegations
ORLANDO, Fla. — The University of Central Florida has temporarily suspended the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity after viewing a photo of a blindfolded pledge holding a Nazi swastika.
The university learned about the image in the fall 2024 semester and determined it depicted an off-campus hazing incident from 2023, according to Courtney Gilmartin, a UCF spokeswoman.
“UCF unequivocally condemns hazing and acts of antisemitism,” Gilmartin wrote in an email. “While we have come to understand that the students in the photo were blindfolded and unaware of the hateful symbols at the time, this does not diminish the seriousness of this incident or the harm caused.”
UCF put the fraternity under an interim suspension as it continues to investigate, which means Phi Gamma Delta is now prohibited from participating in all activities.
Hamas names 3 more hostages to be freed
Israel will release 183 Palestinians
BY JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press
JERUSALEM Hamas identified three more Israeli hostages it plans to free as part of the fragile ceasefire agreement, a sign the deal was moving forward Friday even as U.S. and Israeli officials continued calls to relocate Gaza’s population after the war
The three men, captured by Hamas during its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, are set to be freed Saturday, in the fifth exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinians jailed in Israel.
An Israeli official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive material, confirmed that the hostages scheduled for release are: Eli Sharabi, 52; Ohad Ben Ami, 56; and Or Levy, 34. Israel is set to release 183 Palestinian prisoners Saturday to fulfill its side of the agreement, according to the Hamas-linked prisoners’ office in Gaza. The terms of the deal’s first six-week phase call for Hamas to gradually free a total of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Sharabi was taken captive from Kibbutz Beeri, a communal farm that was one of the hardest hit in the Hamas attack. His wife, Lianne, and their teenage daughters were killed by militants.
Ben Ami, a father of three, was taken hostage from the same community, where he was the kibbutz accountant. His wife, who was also captured was released during a brief ceasefire in November 2023. Levy, a computer programmer from the city of Rishon Lezion, was pulled by militants from a bomb shelter near the Nova music festival in southern Israel. His wife was killed during the attack. The couple’s toddler son has been under the care of family members.
Hamas has so far released 18 hostages, including five Thai citizens captured in Israel during the attack. Last week, Israel released 183 Palestinian prisoners in accordance with the deal.
Details of the planned exchange came as U.S. President Donald Trump continued talking up his widely criticized proposal to move all Palestinians from Gaza and redevelop it as an international travel destination.
The idea, which Trump characterized Friday as a “real estate transaction,” has been roundly rejected by the region’s Arab
governments and by Palestinians themselves, who say forcing them from their homes would constitute ethnic cleansing.
Israeli forces have withdrawn from most of Gaza, as specified by the ceasefire agreement, but remain in border areas.
Negotiators have yet to agree on terms for the deal’s second phase, in which Hamas would release dozens more hostages in return for more prisoners and a lasting ceasefire.
The Palestinian prisoners’ office said that of those set for release Saturday, 18 are serving life sentences, 54 have long-term sentences, and 111 are Gazans who were detained after the Oct. 7 attack.
A list of those expected to be released, distributed Friday by Palestinian authorities, included Iyad Abu Shakhdam, 49, who has been imprisoned for nearly 21 years over his involvement in Hamas militant attacks that killed dozens of Israelis in the early 2000s. He is serving 18 life sentences.
Also on the list is Jamal al-Tawil, 61, a Hamas politician and former mayor of the West Bank city of AlBireh who has spent nearly two decades in and out of Israeli prisons. Since his most recent arrest in 2021, he has been held without trial for allegedly organizing violent riots.
Trump imposes sanctions on International Criminal Court
BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE and JOSHUA GOODMAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the International Criminal Court over investigations of Israel, a close U.S. ally
Neither the U.S. nor Israel is a member of or recognizes the court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes over his military response in Gaza after the Hamas attack against Israel in October 2023. Tens of thousands of Palestinians, including children, have been killed during the Israeli military’s response.
The order Trump signed Thursday accuses the ICC of engaging in “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel” and of abusing its power by issuing “baseless arrest warrants” against Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant
“The ICC has no jurisdiction over the United States or Israel,” the order states, adding that the court had set a “dangerous precedent” with its actions against both countries.
Trump’s action came as Netanyahu was visiting Washington He and Trump held talks Tuesday at the White House, and Netanyahu spent some of Thursday meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
The order says the U.S. will impose “tangible and significant consequences” on those responsible for the ICC’s “transgressions.” Actions may include blocking property and assets and not allowing ICC officials, employees and relatives to enter the United States.
Human rights activists said sanctioning court officials would have a chilling effect and run counter to U.S. interests
in other conflict zones where the court is investigating.
Like Israel, the U.S. is not among the court’s 124 members and has long harbored suspicions that a global court could arbitrarily prosecute U.S. officials.
A 2002 law authorizes the Pentagon to liberate any American or U.S. ally held by the court. In 2020, Trump sanctioned chief prosecutor Karim Khan’s predecessor Fatou Bensouda, over her decision to open an inquiry into war crimes committed by all sides, including the U.S., in Afghanistan.
However, those sanctions were lifted under President Joe Biden, and the U.S. began to tepidly cooperate with the tribunal — especially after Khan in 2023 charged Russian President Vladimir Putin with war crimes in Ukraine.
Driving that turnaround was Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who organized meetings between Khan and GOP lawmakers who have been among the court’s fiercest critics.
Now, Graham says he feels betrayed by Khan — and is vowing to crush the court as well as the economy of any country that tries to enforce the arrest warrant against Netanyahu.
State Dept. lays out plans for arms sale to Israel
BY LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press
WASHINGTON The State Department has formally told Congress that it plans to sell more than $7 billion in weapons to Israel, including thousands of bombs and missiles, just two days after President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
The massive arms sale comes as a fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas holds, even as Trump continues to tout his widely criticized proposal to move all Palestinians from Gaza and redevelop it as an international travel destination.
The sale is another step in Trump’s effort to bolster Israel’s weapons stocks. In late January soon after he took office, he lifted the hold on sending 2,000-pound bombs to Israel.
The Biden administration had paused a shipment of the bombs over concerns about civilian casualties, particularly during an assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Trump told reporters he released them to Israel “because they bought them.”
According to the State Department, two separate sales were sent to Congress on Friday One is for $6.75 billion in an array of munitions, guidance kits and other related equipment. It includes 166 small-diameter bombs, 2,800 500-pound bombs, and thousands of guidance kits, fuses and other bomb components and support equipment. Those deliveries would begin this year
The other arms package is for 3,000 Hellfire missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $660 million Deliveries of the missiles are expected to begin in 2028 and their use will require additional training by the U.S. military Biden administration officials informally notified Congress about the sale last month Officials at the time said some of the arms in the package could be sent from current U.S stocks but the majority would take a year or several years to deliver
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ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABDEL KAREEM HANA
Palestinians walk in the destruction caused by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip, on Thursday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI
President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
Federal workers have more time to weigh buyouts
BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
WASHINGTON — Federal employees
who want to take President Donald Trump’s buyout offer now have until 11:59 p.m. Monday because of a federal court ruling.
Until the court hit pause, about 2.4 million federal workers had until Friday at midnight to decide on the Deferred Resignation Program. They need only to send an email to hr@opm.gov from the employee’s work account with “Resign” typed in the “Subject” line, according to an Office of Personnel Management memo sent Friday morning.
Active military, Postal Service employees, immigration enforcement personnel and some national security employees are exempt, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
Those who refuse the buyout offer according to the memo, “will be subject to enhanced standards
of suitability and conduct” as federal agencies are downsized. This is part of Trump’s promises to radically reduce the size of government and rid taxpayers from the responsibility of paying for so many federal employees.
“This is a rare, generous opportunity,” McLaurine Pinover, from the Office of Personnel Management, said in a statement, “one that was thoroughly vetted and intentionally designed to support employees through restructuring.”
The buyout program has proved controversial.
“Louisiana’s federal employees — and millions like them nationwide are the backbone of our government,” said U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans. “They process Social Security benefits, protect our environment, care for our veterans, and keep our communities safe.
Yet, once again, they face attacks from President Donald Trump, who seeks to dismantle the civil service and replace skilled professionals
with political loyalists.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, said the administration estimates that “5% to 10% of the federal workforce will take their golden parachute.” That would be somewhere between 120,000 and 240,000 federal employees.
Just how many took the offer before the deadline was extended is a bit up in the air
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said about 40,000 federal workers have already taken the offer
“If they don’t want to show up to the office,” she said, “if they want to rip the American people off, then they’re welcome to take this buyout and we’ll find highly competent individuals who want to fill these roles.”
Reuters reported Friday its sources said about 60,000, while The Wall Street Journal heard about 65,000.
No list has been made public so there’s no way to know from which
agencies and from which localities the acceptances have come.
Louisiana has about 19,000 civilian federal employees who are eligible to tender their resignations now and receive full pay until September 30. They’re not expected to continue working and can seek a second job through September, according to the memo. Multiple lawsuits have challenged the buyouts, arguing they violate federal employment rules and contracts. Federal law forbids the executive branch from spending any money not specifically authorized by Congress. Also, federal work rules allow for layoffs to be paid for with a single buyout amount, but that generally cannot exceed $25,000.
The American Federation of Government Employees filed a lawsuit alleging the Trump administration failed to provide the required legal basis for the buyout offer A few hours before the Friday
midnight deadline, U.S. District Court Senior Judge George O’Toole Jr in Boston stopped implementation of the directive “pending the completion of briefing and oral argument on the issues.”
O’Toole, who was nominated by Democratic President Bill Clinton, set a 2 p.m. Monday hearing. He can delay the deadline again to give more time to consider the arguments or block it permanently A dozen Democratic state attorneys general called the deferred resignation offer misleading. “These supposed offers are not guaranteed,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement.
Carter agreed: “His latest scheme — a so-called ‘deferred resignation’ offer — is a trap. There is no legal basis for it, and those who accept could find themselves unemployed with no recourse.”
Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.
BY COLLIN BINKLEY and BIANCA VÁZQUEZ TONESS AP education writers
WASHINGTON Democrats are pushing back against Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency as it turns its attention to the Education Department, with lawmakers raising concerns about DOGE’s access to internal systems containing personal information on tens of millions of Americans.
In a letter to the acting education secretary, a group of Democrats is seeking to intervene as DOGE gains increasing access to student loan databases and other systems. Democrats fear it could lay the groundwork for a takeover akin to Musk’s attempt to close the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Democrats including California Rep. Mark Takano were turned away by secu-
rity when they tried to enter the department’s Washington headquarters on Friday after demanding a meeting with leaders.
“President Donald Trump has promised to abolish the Department of Education,” Takano said in a news conference. “He believes that he can do this through executive order, and we’re here to remind him that he cannot.”
The department has been in turmoil as Trump, a Republican, sets out to abolish it. The White House is considering an executive order that would tell the education secretary to slash the department as far as possible and urge Congress to fully terminate it. Dozens of employees have been placed on paid leave with little explanation, and workers from DOGE have begun scouring the department’s records as they look to slash spending.
Musk’s DOGE team already has gained access to a database housing personal information on millions of students and parents with federal student loans, according to two people with
Federal agencies told
knowledge of the issue. One of them, a department employee, said a DOGE representative requested the access more than a week ago.
The people spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Employees described a DOGE team of several young men that has been working out of the undersecretary’s office on the seventh floor Staff members have been told little about the team, which has been spotted in hallways and rummaging through boxes but mostly ignores others, said Sheria Smith, president of a federal employees union that represents some of the agency’s staff. “They are not interacting at all, not even cordially with anyone who is not part of their team,” Smith said.
Among the cuts sought by the DOGE team is an 80% reduction in spending on a contract to manage websites and call center technology that parents and students use for help applying for federal student aid, said two department employees, who spoke on condition of anonymity
to create lists of underperforming workers
BY BRIAN WITTE Associated Press
President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered all federal departments and agencies to provide lists of employees who are underperforming, as it seeks to shrink the workforce and awaits a court ruling related to its deferred resignation offers.
A memo sent by the Office of Personnel Management on Thursday directs the agencies to submit names of every employee who has received less than a “fully successful” performance rating in the past three years and to note whether the workers have been on performance plans.
The memo, which was viewed by The Associated Press, also emphasized that the agencies report any obstacles to making sure they have “the ability to swiftly terminate poor performing employees who cannot or will not improve.”
The memo seeks the employee’s name, job title pay plan and other details, as well as
whether that employee is “under or successfully completed a performance improvement plan within the last 12 months.”
The office also is asking if an agency has proposed or issued a decision in such cases, and whether any action is being appealed or challenged, as well as any outcome.
The data is due by March 7.
Charles Ezell, the acting director of OPM who sent the memo, wrote that the office is developing new performance metrics for evaluating the federal workforce, a standard that “aligns with the priorities and standards in the President’s recent Executive Orders.” To assist the office, Ezell wrote that all agencies should submit data regarding their performance management plans and policies, including those contained in collective bargaining agreements.
So far, 65,000 federal workers have opted into the deferred resignation program, according to a White House official who wasn’t authorized to disclose the latest figures and spoke on condition of anonymity
for fear of losing their jobs. There are two years remaining on an $824 million contract with information technology services company Accenture for the work.
Education Department employees pushed back, telling the DOGE team that much of the work to help simplify loan applications was required by Congress, the staff members said.
Last year, after a botched rollout of a revised FAFSA student aid form, the department added additional support to the call centers to help families with their applications.
A federal lawsuit filed Friday seeks to block DOGE’s access to student financial aid systems, saying it violates privacy rights of millions of federal student loan borrowers. It was filed by the advocacy group Student Defense on behalf of the University of California Student Association.
It says DOGE could now
have access to Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, dates of birth and contact information for student loan borrowers. The database also houses information on the parents of dependent loan applicants, including citizenship status and income information.
The suit says it’s an “enormous and unprecedented” invasion of privacy for more than 42 million people whose personal data is stored in Federal Student Aid systems.
The Education Department said DOGE is helping it return to in-person work, restoring accountability for employees and reforming the hiring process to focus on merit It said there is “nothing inappropriate or nefarious going on.”
Rep. Bobby Scott, the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, asked a government watchdog to review data security at the Education Department and other agencies where Musk’s team has gained access. His Friday letter to the Government Accountability Office called it a “constitutional emergency.”
“There is now a void of oversight for a very young and inexperienced team and their leader, the world’s richest man,” Scott wrote. Trump campaigned on a promise to close the department, claiming it has been infiltrated by “radicals, zealots and Marxists.”
But Trump’s pledge is colliding with the reality that the department’s existence and most of its spending is ordered by Congress.
“The DOGE employees are federal employees,” the department said in a statement. “They have been sworn in, have the necessary background checks and clearances, and are focused on making the Department more cost-efficient, effective, and accountable to the taxpayers.”
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if she and her students would be interested in lending their culinary talents.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them,” Edwards said. “They get to be part of something that’s not just local, it’s worldwide.”
Jones, who lives in and has a full-time job in Atlanta, visited the Career Center in the two weeks before the Super Bowl to work with the students, who enroll in the culinary arts program from high schools across Lafayette Parish
COMMENTS
Continued from page 1A
the kind of speech that the university can discipline in the name of maintaining a professional and safe learning environment?
“The big question here is whether the comments made in class is actually protected speech or whether it’s subject to discipline,” said Robert Noel, a political-science professor who teaches constitutional law at the University of Louisiana at Monroe and runs a criminal-defense practice.
Levy, a tenured LSU law professor, contends his statements were the former
“Professor Levy engaged his students in robust debate, challenged their viewpoints, and expressed his opinion — clearly protected rights of speech and academic freedom,” his attorney, Jill Craft, argued in a lawsuit filed last month.
Craft and other supporters of Levy have questioned if his suspension is part of a larger trend of Landry publicly attacking professors who criticize him.
“If the governor got his feelings hurt, well then he needs to not run for political office,” Craft said on Friday But for LSU, and for Landry, Levy’s comments were not protected speech.
“The Ken Levy situation is not a question of academic freedom,” the university said in a statement Friday “Our investigation found that Professor Levy created a classroom environment that was demeaning to students who do not hold his political view, threatening in terms of their grades, and profane,” it said.
Some say the line is not always clear
“It’s a gray area,” said Olivier Moréteau, an LSU law professor and member of the LSU chapter of American Association of Univer-
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running a budget-cutting Department of Government Efficiency, have made USAID their biggest target so far in an unprecedented challenge of the federal government and many of its programs.
Administration appointees and Musk’s teams have shut down almost all funding for the agency, stopping aid and development programs worldwide, placed staffers and contractors on leave and furlough and locked them out of the agency’s email and other systems. According to Democratic lawmak-
FLU
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death toll to 156 million chickens turkeys, and other birds.
Meanwhile, international health agencies are tracking a rise in H5N1 cases among mammals including dolphins and cats warning that continued spread could increase the risk of genetic mutations that make the virus more transmissible to humans.
While the risk to humans remains low for now, disruptions in information flowing from federal agencies to local health officials have made it harder to assess and respond to emerging threats.
With hospitals preparing to ramp up bird flu surveillance, coordination between the federal government, local hospitals, clinics and wildlife authorities is crucial.
“The big issue to me is that those surveillance systems for both people and animals keep working and keep looking,” Michaels said. “Without that data, we don’t have a good picture of what’s happening.”
Louisiana is at the end of the Mississippi Flyway, the most heavily used migration corridor in North America. Millions of birds populate the state’s wetlands during this time of year, increasing the
It was a chance for Jones to highlight the culinary arts programs that exist in Louisiana and to show students what’s possible for them after graduation
The students learned how to properly heat all the ingredients together and how to lay the candies out to harden before helping package them.
Student Zoe Foster burned her first batch but was proud that the next batch was perfect.
She was excited that it only took her two batches to get everything right.
“Being able to be part of the Super Bowl, even though I can’t go, still feels pretty good,” she said.
“If I see the pralines on TV, I can
sity Professors, which advocates for academic freedom in higher education
On Jan. 14, the first day of a criminal-law course, Levy told his students that he had a no-recording policy
Levy referenced an incident after the November presidential election when his colleague, law professor Nick Bryner, made comments during a class lecture that were critical of Trump and eventually shared with Landry Landry publicly criticized Bryner on social media.
Levy talked about Landry, and later Trump using several vulgar terms in the process
“Frankly, like, forward my s*** to the governor Like, I generally don’t have a problem. I would love to become a national celebrity based on what I said in this class. Like, f*** the governor,” Levy said, prompting student laughter
Levy said he could put students in jail if they secretly recorded him and shared the recording, which also elicited laughter from students.
Later in class, Levy said that changes to criminal procedure can happen quickly And it was possible that concepts taught during the class could end up changing during the semester due to the U.S. Supreme Court.
He went on to say “You probably heard I’m a big lefty, OK. I’m a big Democrat. I’ve been, I was devastated by, I couldn’t believe that f***** won,” referring to Trump’s election
“Those of you who like him, I don’t give a s*** You’re already getting ready to send your evaluations: ‘I don’t need his political commentary.’ No, you need my political commentary You above all others need my political commentary,” said Levy again provoking laughter
“But here is the deal. I stopped listening to the news. I don’t know what’s going on. I know there are
ers, they also carted away USAID’s computer servers.
“This is a full-scale gutting of virtually all the personnel of an entire agency,” Karla Gilbride, the attorney for the employee associations, told the judge.
Department of Justice attorney Brett Shumate argued that the administration has all the legal authority it needs to place agency staffers on leave. “The government does this across the board every day,” Shumate said. “That’s what’s happening here. It’s just a large number.” Friday’s ruling is the latest setback in the courts for the Trump administration, whose policies to offer financial incentives for fed-
chances of contact with other animals and humans.
Experts say the spread of bird flu along migration routes varies depending on where birds are in their journey though the duration of the virus seems to be evolving as it spreads from flock to flock.
“The migratory birds at the top of the flyway are shedding more (virus) than the birds at the bottom, probably because they develop antibodies over the course of their flight,” said Carol Cardona, professor in the Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Minnesota.
Still, hundreds of ducks killed by hunters in Louisiana have tested positive for bird flu since 2022 when the outbreak began, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Two backyard flocks in Louisiana have also tested positive for bird flu. In one case, the owner contracted the virus from their birds and later died. The individual was over 65 and had other health conditions, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. It remains the only recorded H5N1 death in the U.S., though a Canadian teenager was hospitalized in critical condition in late 2024.
Many more birds are likely infected, but it’s hard to conduct rou-
be like, ‘We made those.’ And maybe one year, I’ll be there to make them in person.”
While being part of a global event is excitement enough for Zoe, she’s even more excited about what Jones is donating to the students in exchange for their help: new uniforms, lodging and excursions for the annual ProStart culinary competition later this year in New Orleans.
“That’s my thank you, making sure that the students are able to put their best foot forward in the competition,” Jones said. “It’s all about paying it forward.”
Email Ashley White at ashley white@theadvocate.com.
fires in L.A., and I know Carter died. That’s about it. Alright? I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t know what Trump is doing. I don’t care what he’s doing.”
Noel said the Levy case touches on two separate — but intertwined issues.
“The one issue is the right of the university to ensure that you have proper decorum on the part of the professors,” Noel said. “And the other is the First Amendment right of the professors to make a comment — even one that involves an expletive about the governor.”
Part of LSU policy says, “Academic freedom protects freedom of speech, thought, and expression within the university setting to promote learning and knowledge.”
“Academic freedom is ensured through tenure, which prevents termination or punishment of faculty for any reason that could plausibly stifle academic speech and inquiry but does provide for termination or discipline of faculty members for justifiable causes,” the policy states.
Tenure promotes “inquiry into truth” free from external pressure due to differing ideological views, it states.
But it goes on to state that faculty can’t pressure students into adopting any particular point of view and they must “respect for the rights, views and opinions of others.”
Levy has argued discussion and criticism of the actions taken by political figures is clearly the kind of intellectual discussion tenure aims to protect.
“No amount of curse words or divergent opinion justifies” the harm caused by the teaching suspension, according to his legal filings.
But LSU argues Levy went beyond “facilitating learning and gaining knowledge relevant to the subject being taught or researched.”
“We expect faculty to explore the subject matter, not threaten or in-
eral workers to resign and end birthright citizenship for anyone born in the U.S. to someone in the country illegally have been temporarily paused by judges.
Earlier Friday, a group of a halfdozen USAID officials speaking to reporters strongly disputed assertions from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the most essential lifesaving programs abroad were getting waivers to continue.
Among the programs they said had not received waivers: $450 million in food grown by U.S. farmers sufficient to feed 36 million people, which was not being paid for or delivered; and water supplies for 1.6 million people displaced by war in Sudan’s Darfur region, which were
tine surveillance of birds. When Kenner residents noticed a group of dead ducks recently, for example, it was too late to test them for bird flu, according to Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries.
In early January, a cat in Plaquemines Parish tested positive for bird flu after being picked up for neutering. When it exhibited neurological symptoms including tremors, seizures and circling while trying to walk — it was euthanized and tested.
Cats are highly susceptible to H5N1 and are thought to contract it by drinking raw milk from infected cows or preying on wild birds. However they are generally considered “dead-end” hosts for the virus, meaning they are unlikely to spread it further, said Robert Garry, a virologist at Tulane University However, the CDC recently published, then deleted data suggesting there was potential for cats to transmit bird flu to other cats and humans, according to news reports.
The Louisiana Department of Health has responded to the outbreak by providing public guidance on who is most at risk (primarily people exposed to birds or cattle) and issuing recommendations for health care providers. The state is also monitoring emergency room visits and wastewater
doctrinate,” it said.
Moréteau, the law professor, called himself “a fierce defender” of academic freedom. But he believes Levy crossed a line in his use of profanity and verbal attacks against Landry and Trump.
“Attacking people and calling them names in a classroom environment is not appropriate and certainly makes a number of students feel very uncomfortable. That’s not right,” said Moréteau.
But Kevin Cope, an LSU English literature professor and officer of the local AAUP chapter, said he viewed some of Levy’s comments “as a kind of sharp humor.”
Cope also argued the university classroom is a type of “sacred space” where any kind of idea may be discussed — so long as its pertinent to the course.
With political discussions in the law school, where almost any topic could apply to the political issues or actors of the day, that pertinence can be understood broadly, he said.
“The nature of the topic — the law society politics, the people who act their lives out in all three of those venues — the line between all three of those is very thin indeed,” Cope said.
Looming over the debate is Landry’s willingness to publicly call for discipline against professors who criticize him.
When Levy exclaimed, “F*** the governor,” he did so in the context of Landry’s targeting of fellow professor Nick Bryner
Landry called out Bryner in two posts from the official governor’s social media account. In the first, Landry shared a video of Bryner teaching in class. In the second post, Landry called on LSU to investigate and discipline Bryner for those comments.
Landry made a similar move in 2021 when he was attorney general. Bob Mann, then a tenured professor of mass communication
being cut off without money for fuel to run water pumps in the desert.
The judge’s order involved the Trump administration decision earlier this week to pull almost all USAID workers off the job and out of the field worldwide. Besides the 2,200 workers temporarily protected from being put on leave, the fate was not clear of others that work with the agency and have been laid off, furloughed or put on leave.
Trump and congressional Republicans have spoken of moving a much-reduced number of aid and development programs under the State Department.
Within the State Department itself, employees fear substan-
for signs of increased viral activity, though no significant spikes have been detected.
Scientists remain concerned that the virus could mutate if left to circulate unchecked. Flu viruses of different subtypes can combine in hosts, potentially leading to mutations that make H5N1 transmissible to humans.
“People telling you that the risk for humans is still low are telling you the truth,” Garry said. “But we’re maybe just a few of those changes away I think a lot of monitoring should be going on, and I’m not sure we’re actually getting all that done properly.”
Hospitals prepare
Ideally, health and wildlife authorities from different backgrounds should be in coordination, said Dr Julio Figueroa, an infectious disease specialist at LSU Health New Orleans. That has been difficult with the communication freeze.
“All the different components should be talking to each other and creating guidance, especially in a state like ours, where we have a lot of wild animals, a lot of (backyard) animals, and a lot of environment,” said Figueroa.
Hospitals are currently implementing protocols to get high-risk people with exposure to animals
at LSU, in a social media post criticized a Landry for his stance on COVID vaccines and one of Landry’s staffers, calling her “a flunkie.”
In response, Landry posted on social media from his official state attorney general account, saying he hoped LSU “takes appropriate action soon.” Landry also issued a formal letter to LSU President William Tate over Mann’s criticism of his staff.
Landry this week criticized Levy’s comments on social media.
“Is this the type of language and attitude you expect your tax dollars to pay for?” Landry said. “No judge would tolerate this conduct in their courtroom or any legal professional setting. It should not be tolerated at our taxpayer funded universities either.”
Noel, the political science professor, said bitter political divisions have put the country “in a bad spot” and hampered the teaching of different perspectives.
“At the university, in the professional level, you have to be able to discuss more than one point of view You cannot be afraid to offend people,” he said.
Cope, the English professor, said there had traditionally been “wide latitude” for the airing of all kinds of views in the university setting.
“In the early part of my career, there was room for a lot of joking and speculation and daring comments,” said Cope, who has taught at LSU for 41 years.
But he said there’s been a “gradual narrowing” of what speech is tolerated in the classroom, a trend he attributed to both the political left and political right.
“That is a shame because it is a narrowing down of what can be discussed in the university,” he said. “It is a narrowing down of the kind of training that the students get. And ultimately, therefore, it’s a narrowing down of the competence of the students that emerge from such an institution.”
tial staff reductions following the deadline for the Trump administration’s offer of financial incentives for federal workers to resign, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. A judge temporarily blocked that offer and set a hearing Monday
The administration earlier this week gave almost all USAID staffers posted overseas 30 days, starting Friday, to return to the U.S., with the government paying for their travel and moving costs. Diplomats at embassies asked for waivers allowing more time for some, including families forced to pull their children out of schools midyear
additional testing if they develop flu-like symptoms. The subtyping for H5N1 is currently about three times the cost of a regular flu test, said Figueroa, making it impractical to test every symptomatic patient for bird flu.
At Ochsner, patients who are sick enough to require hospitalization for the flu will have further testing done to rule out H5 influenza, said Dr Sandra Kemmerly If there is evidence of a cluster of cases among humans, indicating the virus has evolved to spread from person to person, the hospital will increase testing.
“That’s when the gloves come off, and we have widespread, intense surveillance, because that would be a game changer,” said Kemmerly
Currently, experts recommend that people limit contact with wild birds and keep pets away from dead or wild animals.
Mark Mitchell, professor of zoological medicine at LSU, advised against using bird feeders, where wild birds may congregate, and instead suggested planting native vegetation that naturally attracts birds.
Raw milk and unpasteurized cheese should be avoided, and poultry, eggs and other animal products should be cooked to the proper temperature.
STAFF PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Instructor and chef Theresa Edwards helps Brielle Credeur make pralines on Thursday.
Trump wants to slash U.S. trade deficit with Japan
President says he isn’t taking tariffs off the table
BY AAMER MADHANI and MARI YAMAGUCHI Associated Press
WASHINGTON President
Donald Trump said Friday he wants to slash the U.S trade deficit with Japan as he welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to the White House for their first face-to-face meeting.
Trump added that he isn’t taking the possibility of levying tariffs against Japan off the table, but believes the issue can be resolved without punitive action. The United States has a $68 billion trade deficit with Japan “I think it will be very easy for Japan,” Trump said at start of his Oval Office meeting with Ishiba. “We have a fantastic relationship. I don’t think we’ll have any problem. They want fairness also.”
Trump announced that Japan’s Nippon Steel’s was dropping its $14.1 billion ac-
quisition of the Pittsburghheadquartered U.S. Steel and would instead be making an “investment, rather than a purchase.” Trump said he would “mediate and arbitrate” as the companies negotiate the investment.
The U.S. president mistakenly referred to Nippon Steel as “Nissan,” the Japanese automaker
President Joe Biden, before leaving office last month, blocked the purchase, citing national security con-
cerns. Trump in December said he was “totally against the once great and powerful U.S. Steel being bought by a foreign company.” Trump told reporters Friday that he remained opposed to the Japanese company buying
Senate GOP unveils $340B budget plan
House misses another deadline to produce a budget package
BY LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press
WASHINGTON As House Republicans missed another deadline Friday to produce a massive budget package of tax cuts and slashed spending, Senate Republicans jumped ahead, unveiling a more tailored $340 billion blueprint focused on President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda and bolstered U.S. defense spending.
Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledged his own chamber’s plan for Trump’s big budget bill would slip into the weekend as House Republicans work overtime to agree to the details. After a lengthy meeting a day earlier with the Republican president at the White House, they are racing to hammer out a package that includes some
25-year-old was linked to social media posts that espoused racism
BY MICHELLE L. PRICE Associated Press
WASHINGTON Elon Musk said on Friday he is rehiring a staff member at the Department of Government Efficiency who resigned a day earlier after he was linked to social media posts that espoused racism. Musk, in a post on his social media network X, said he would bring back Marko
$4 trillion in tax breaks, massive program cuts and a possible extension of the nation’s debt limit.
“We have just a few final details to iron out,” Johnson, R-Benton, said at the Capitol. “It’s going well, and I’m very excited about where we are and the fact we’re going to be moving this forward.”
But the repeated setbacks are frustrating GOP lawmakers as they argue among themselves and they fail to show progress on Trump’s signature legislative priority during the first 100 days of the new administration with unified party control of the House, the Senate and the White House. At stake are countless Trump campaign promises: making tax cuts that expire at the end of this year permanent, cutting spending on federal programs and ensuring the administration has enough money to launch his deportation operation and finish building the U.S.-Mexico border wall. The package is also expected to meet Trump’s demands to raise the nation’s debt ceiling to allow
more borrowing and prevent a federal default.
Trump’s message as he popped in and out of the nearly five-hour meeting Thursday at the White House was simple: Get it done.
Instead, Senate Republicans jumped in Friday as they prepared to head to Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, for a Friday night dinner as they push ahead with their own scaled-back proposal. The dueling approaches between the House and the Senate are becoming something of a race to see which chamber will make the most progress toward the GOP’s overall goals.
As the House struggles, Republicans led by Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota have proposed a two-step approach, starting with a smaller bill that would include money for Trump’s border wall and deportation plans, among other priorities They later would pursue the more robust package of tax break extensions before a year-end deadline.
U.S. Steel outright.
Trump’s push to cut the trade deficit comes as he has pursued tariffs on both friends and foes in an effort to boost American manufacturing.
Ishiba, who was making a whirlwind trip to Washington to get face time with Trump, said he understands that Trump’s goal is mutually beneficial trade policy
But the prime minister also noted Japanese companies have held the top spot for cumulative foreign direct investment in the U.S. over the last five years. He added that Japan was looking to invest more in the United States.
Ishiba also heaped praise on Trump, saying he was inspired by the “undaunted presence” of a bloodied Trump pumping his fist after surviving an assassination attempt at a July campaign rally Ishiba added that many in Japan were also excited about his return to the White House.
“It is not only among politicians, but also among the general public as well as business leaders,” Ishiba
said. “There are many that were anxiously awaiting your comeback.”
He also said he was excited, before coming to Washington, about meeting a television celebrity like Trump. Ishiba said of Trump that “on television, he is frightening,” but during their Oval Office meeting the president was actually “very sincere.” He added that he didn’t come to “suck up” to the president. Trump also said at his press conference with Japan’s prime minister that he wanted to see some FBI agents fired as the Justice Department reviews how the agency handled investigations into the attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters on Jan. 6, 2021. “I’ll fire some of them, because some of them were corrupt,” Trump said. He added, “it will be done quickly, and very surgically.”
Ishiba, who took office in October, is just the second world leader to visit the White House during Trump’s new term Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week was the first hosted by Trump.
with deportation, defense funds
The Senate Budget Committee said that the proposed new spending would finish the border wall and increase the number of Border Patrol agents and U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The increased defense spending would include money for growing the U.S. Navy and build an integrated air and defense missile system to counter threats to the U.S.
The committee said the budget plan would also include proposed cuts elsewhere in federal spending to offset the $85.5 billion annual cost, which would total $340 billion over the four years of Trump’s second term.
The two chambers are rac-
ing to deliver Trump’s agenda with small majorities and little room for error Johnson needs almost complete unanimity from his ranks to pass any bill over objections from Democrats. In the Senate, Republicans have a 5347 majority House Republicans reconvened late into the evening at the Capitol to make sure all the Republicans would be on board with the emerging plan, particularly the spending cuts that have the potential to cause angst among lawmakers as they slice into government services Americans depend on from coast to coast.
But on Friday they were not quite there yet, lawmak-
ers said, and would stay at it through the weekend.
The House GOP largely wants what Trump has called a “big, beautiful bill” that would extend some $4 trillion in tax cuts and include funding for the president’s mass deportation effort and border wall. It includes massive cuts from a menu of government programs — from health care to food assistance
Elez after Vice President JD Vance called for him to be rehired. President Donald Trump later endorsed his vice president’s view Marko Elez resigned Thursday after The Wall Street Journal linked the 25-year-old DOGE staffer to a deleted social media account on X that posted last year “I was racist before it was cool” and “You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity,” among other posts The account in September included a post that said, “Normalize Indian hate.” The vice president’s wife,
Usha Vance, is the daughter of Indian immigrants.
Vance, in a post on Muskowned X, said Elez should be brought back and blamed “journalists who try to destroy people.”
“I obviously disagree with some of Elez’s posts, but I don’t think stupid social media activity should ruin a kid’s life,” Vance said.
“I’m with the vice president,” Trump told a news conference Friday A few hours later, Musk posted: “He will be brought back To err is human, to forgive divine.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI
President Donald Trump, center, greets Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, right, Friday at the White House in Washington.
Mother, daughter killed in
By The Associated Press
WARTBURG, Tenn. — Two tornadoes moved through eastern Tennessee, leaving a mother and daughter dead and injuring three other people, officials said Friday
A mother and daughter from the same household were killed when the storm passed through the sparsely populated communities of Deer Lodge and Sunbright in Morgan County on Thursday night, according to a social media post by the county emergency management agency Further details about the three people injured weren’t immediately released. Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers were on site Friday morning helping to secure structures that were damaged or destroyed, Capt. Stacey Heatherly said in an email. Officials didn’t believe anyone was still missing, Heatherly said
Preliminary storm surveys released midday Friday determined that two tornadoes hit the region
on Thursday, the National Weather Service office in Morristown said.
The tornado in Deer Lodge in Morgan County had maximum winds of 135 mph and was rated as an EF2, which is considered “significant” on the Enhanced Fujita scale. The tornado in Thorn Hill in Grainger County had maximum winds of 115 mph and received an EF1 rating.
Gov Bill Lee traveled to Morgan County on Friday to survey the damage, noting that he talked to a man who lost his daughter and his home. “It’s hard to see these folks and you see what they’re facing today,” Lee told reporters. “We’re here to encourage them, wanting them to know that they’re seen and they’re heard.”
The Tennessee Highway Patrol said on social media that troopers were in Morgan County ensuring resident safety and assessing and helping with structure damage.
The Morgan County School District said on its website that schools would be closed Friday because of “significant damage from
tornadoes
that hit Tennessee
tornadoes in parts of our county.”
Additionally, the storm downed trees and damaged several structures in the Thorn Hill area of Grainger County, but there were
no injuries or deaths there, county Emergency Management Director Jeffrey Atkins said by telephone. Thursday’s storm comes almost a year after a fatal tornado
Missing plane found on sea ice in Alaska; 10 dead
Authorities say it had loss in elevation and speed before its signal was lost
BY BECKY BOHRER and GENE JOHNSON Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska A small commuter plane that crashed in western Alaska on its way to the hub community of Nome was located Friday on sea ice, and all 10 people on board died authorities said.
Mike Salerno, a spokesperson for the U.S. Coast Guard, said rescuers were searching the aircraft’s last known location by helicopter when they spotted the wreckage. They lowered two rescue swimmers to investigate.
The Bering Air single-engine turboprop plane was traveling from Unalakleet on Thursday afternoon with nine passengers and a pilot, according to Alaska’s Department of Public Safety
The Cessna Caravan left Unalakleet
at 2:37 p.m., and officials lost contact with it less than an hour later, David Olson, director of operations for Bering Air, has said. There was light snow and fog with a temperature of 17 degrees, according to the National
Weather Service. Officials lost contact with the plane less than an hour later The Coast Guard said the plane went missing about 30 miles southeast of Nome. The aircraft was 12 miles offshore, according to the Coast Guard said.
It was operating at its maximum passenger capacity, according to the airline’s description of the plane.
Radar forensic data provided by the U.S. Civil Air Patrol indicated that about 3:18 p.m. Thursday, the plane had “some kind of event which caused them to experience a rapid loss in elevation and a rapid loss in speed,” Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin McIntyreCoble said. “What that event is, I can’t speculate to.” McIntyre-Coble said he was unaware of any distress signals from the aircraft. Planes carry an emergency locating transmitter If exposed to seawater the device sends a signal to a satellite, which then relays that message back to the Coast Guard to indicate an aircraft may be in distress. There have been no such messages received by the Coast Guard, he said.
All 10 people on board the plane were adults, and the flight was a regularly scheduled commuter trip, according to Lt. Ben Endres of the Alaska State Troopers. Local, state and federal agencies
assisted in the search effort, combing stretches of ice-dotted waters and scouring miles of frozen tundra.
Most Alaska communities are not connected to the state’s main road system, and airplanes are often the only option for travel of any distance in rural areas, particularly in winter. The region is prone to sudden snow squalls and high winds in the winter, and residents were told not to form their own search parties because the weather was too dangerous.
Bering Air serves 32 villages in western Alaska from hubs in Nome, Kotzebue and Unalakleet. Most destinations receive twice-daily scheduled flights Monday through Saturday
Two Bering Air planes appeared to be searching in a grid pattern just off the coastline Friday morning, according to the flight tracking service Flightradar24.
Unalakleet is a community of about 690 people about 150 miles southeast of Nome and 395 miles northwest of Anchorage. The village is on the Iditarod trail, route of the world’s most famous sled dog race, during which mushers and their teams must cross the frozen Norton Sound. Nome, a Gold Rush town, is just south of the Arctic Circle and is known as the ending point of the 1,000-mile Iditarod.
touched down in a northeast Tennessee area that included Morgan County The tornado damaged a funeral home and a house in the town of Sunbright. Emergency officials have repeatedly said that Tennessee experiences more tornadoes at night than any other state in the U.S. This makes it difficult to warn the public, which likely is asleep and can’t see the storms coming. Meanwhile, communities in Kentucky and West Virginia continued to clean up from flooding in low-lying areas caused by severe thunderstorms Thursday Some creeks and rivers remained slightly above flood stage Friday
According to the National Weather Service, Tennessee experienced 19 tornadoes last year that resulted in one death. In 2023, Tennessee saw 40 tornadoes that resulted in 17 deaths. While the majority of Tennessee’s tornado activity takes place in the spring, it’s not unusual for the number of tornadoes to start increasing in February
Trump administration pulls support for transgender minors in Tennessee case
BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON The fed-
eral government no longer backs transgender minors and their families in Tennessee who are challenging a state ban on genderaffirming care, the Trump administration told the Supreme Court Friday The court’s conservatives, at arguments in December, had already seemed likely to uphold the state ban on puberty blockers and hormone treatments. The Tennessee law known as SB1 is similar to measures in about half the states that prohibit genderaffirming care for minors. The Biden administration had intervened in the Tennessee case, arguing that the restrictions amount to unconstitutional sex discrimination and warning that the court’s decision in favor of the state could lead to restrictions on transgender adults.
“The Department has now determined that SB1 does not deny equal protection on account of sex or any other characteristic,” Deputy Solicitor General Curtis Gannon wrote in a letter to the court. “Accordingly, the new Administration would not have intervened to challenge SB1 — let alone sought this Court’s review of the court of appeals’ decision” effectively upholding the law A decision is expected no later than early summer Trump has signed orders that define the sexes as unchangeable, open the door to banning transgender people from military service, call for new rules about how schools can teach about gender and set the stage to ban transgender women and girl athletes from participating in girls’ and women’s sports.
Board affirms firing of officer
Man allegedly threatened to kill resid
BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL
The St. Martinville Police Civil Service Board voted unanimously to uphold the City Council’s decision to fire a police officer who allegedly threatened to kill a resident. The board, in a Tuesday written statement, wrote that Cody Laperouse did threaten a resident and required another officer to restrain him from attacking said resident on Aug. 26, 2024.
“His actions demonstrate that
he has anger issues that him from continuing St. Martinville City Police the board wrote. Laperouse claimed Ricky Martin did not er procedure and p lated his rights as a
investiganot rewhat he an interbetween He also Martin asking fter he Martin, however claimed the conversation was not an interrogation.
STRICTLY FOR THE BIRDS
ABOVE: A male northern cardinal looks for a mate from its perch on Thursday in Lafayette.
RIGHT: The blue- and rustcolored eastern bluebird pops against the drab late-winter background at Heymann Park in Lafayette. STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK
The board agreed with Martin, stating that after listening to a secret recording captured by Laperouse, the conversation between the two was “like a conversation between longtime co-workers/ friends trying to resolve issues
Officer may appeal firing over nude photos
Woman was stopped for a traffic offense
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
A Lafayette Police officer fired after he viewed a nude video and solicited nude photos of a woman he met during a traffic stop has another opportunity for an appeal after a 3rd Circuit appeals court denied his attempt to get his job back. Pratimakone (Tommy) Aphaiyarath, an 18-year veteran of the department, was fired in August 2023. The Lafayette Fire and Police Civil Service Board in March 2024 upheld the termination as did 15th Judicial District Court Judge Cynthia Spadoni in August, court records show Aphaiyarath filed a timely appeal with the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal in Lake Charles. On Jan 29, the appeal court dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction but agreed to allow Aphaiyarath within 30 days to apply for supervisory writs. According to a transcript of the civil service hearing, Aphaiyarath stopped a woman in June 2023 for a traffic offense. He transported her to
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
An appeals court has upheld the firing of a Vermilion Parish public school teacher whose sexually explicit video with his wife was posted on social media. The teacher argued he did not post the video, the social media account was not his and he was being targeted by someone. He allegedly reported the matter to the Sheriff’s Office and FBI but was fired anyway for shooting the video with his cellphone that had previously been hacked and telling school officials he knew nothing about the video which he later admitted he recorded. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal in Lake Charles on Wednesday affirmed the May 2023 dismissal of Kaplan High School teacher Barret Hargrave, a nontenured agriculture and welding instructor According to court documents, an explicit video showing a sexual act be-
Chef Guy Fieri spotted around Baton Rouge
In between filming his TV show, he signed tequila bottles at Total Wine
BY JUDY BERGERON Staff writer
Move Baton sce too. That’ lebrity in Super Orleans, ing fan Chi matchup Superdome. In 57 Network Drive-Ins cery Bite” spent day Baton Rouge. The spiky-haired, tattoo d and at greet More bottles Sammy quila the playe throughout hourlong th crew for Dives” refers city
fans. We watch what we can when we can,” Colleen Perniciaro said.
“And we like tequila,” her husband added, looking down at the four bottles in his cart.
Making the trip from New Orleans were Olivia Olivard and her father, James Olivard.
“She’s been a fan for years,” James Olivard said of his daughter. “She asked me five years ago, ‘Dad, I want to meet him,’ and I’ like I don’t know how I’m going to pull that off. And then my buddy sent this (info about Fieri’s appearance), and I was like ‘We’re going.’ Olivia Olivard showed off her Guy Fieri T-shirt. She had him autograph the right sleeve.
A crowd forms a line for Guy Fieri’s appearance at Total Wine & More in Baton Rouge on Thursday.
Sharing Olivia’s love of the television host is Baton Rouge’s Tekeamma Mosley, who was so excited to see Fieri that she burst into tears.
“Come here. Come here,” Fieri motioned to her as she slowly moved up to the signing table and got a big hug.
“I love him so much, and I used to watch him with my grandmother, and she loved him so much. That’s how I got into watching him,” Mosley said. “And so she’s passed now, so it’s a memory thing. My favorite (show) is ‘Triple D’ because I’m a big foodie.”
‘Triple D.’ What a great foo restaurants three “I New everybody Rouge and LSU, but I’m gopretty dynamite too.” specialties He pops in the
BOARD
Continued from page 1B
within the department” and, therefore, did not constitute an interrogation.
Laperouse was initially demoted and placed on administrative leave in September after he was accused of threatening kill a when to mother voted him told
ing he intended to bring Laperouse and the man to the police station to discuss the issue. When Laperouse arrived at the station, he charged at the man before being held back by Broussard, he added. Laperouse then shouted at the suspect, “ You f****** crackhead I’ll kill you,” Broussard told council memb
staurant kitchen to watch the dishes being made, grab and chat with diners
find out why a place is so special.
Football-wise, Fieri said he’s not taking sides for Sunday’s big game.
“I’m a Raider (Las Vegas Raiders) fan, so I think, like these New Orleans Saints fans, you look forward to a great Super Bowl,” he said. ou just want to make sure it’s a good game. Nobody in
particular, just a good game. I want it to be close.”
Fieri’s appearance at Total Wine off Siegen Lane drew a few hundred fans. The line wound from inside the front of the store to outside and down the sidewalk to the building’s northern corner Baton Rouge couple Dr Jay and Colleen Perniciaro were first in line, arriving at 3:30 p.m. for the 6 p.m. event.
“Yes, we’re absolutely
Probably the eldest of the fans was Emile Edwards, of Baton Rouge, accompanied by Lisa Hubbard, who maneuvered Edwards’ wheelchair through the crowd.
“Oh yeah, a big fan. I met him when he won ‘The Next Food Network Star’ to become what he’s doing now,” Edwards said. “That’s how long I’ve been watching him.”
Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate. com.
Continued from pag
Continued from page 1B allege students Hargrave leave vestigation. his not someone and was account
OFFICER
the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center where the woman voluntarily unlocked her cellphone, revealing nude photos of herself, the transcript shows. Aphaiyarath allegedly put his name and phone number in the woman’s cellphone contacts.
for its returning customers, she noted, “but it was bigenough for us to do adrivethru plus it had cooler spaces for us to store our daiquiris and crawfish,” Louvierre said. The building, which became available when the franchisee for that location closed it along with another in Lafayette in December,isdoublethe size of their old building. Louvierre said they may expand the menu to include aseafood market located at the entrance of the business
Later, the two allegedly began texting one another, with Aphaiyarath writing that he was waiting on a nude photo and video, telling her she’s beautiful and inviting her to dinner At least eight times the officer allegedly requested nude photos or videos of the suspect, records show
“Weare trying ourhardest to get open as soon as we can,” Louvierre said. “Wemiss interacting with our customers in the public, and we are just -
Aphaiyarath also allegedly tried to assist the woman with her third-offense OWI arrest by having her case transferred to a certain parole officer, said he would speak with the person in charge of sobriety court on her behalf and invited her to visit his homeland of Thailand. He later, according to the civil service hearing transcript, said he was able to get her into sobriety court, to the front of the line and on a fast track. At some point, the woman felt uncomfortable with the situation and filed an internal affairs complaint with the police department, records show.
which owner Vincent Starwood opened bought last summer and has since worked to put back into commerce. Abody contour shop and a laundromat will openinthe development,which wasthe former Hanger Prosthetics& Orthotics. It already houses asmall grocerystore,called Starwood Marketplace, and a beauty salon/barbershop.
Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate. com.
“Everywhere yougo, you gotta get on the road and go to the otherside of town to get anything you need,” Starwood said. “And Isaid I’ll put asmallgrocerystore there to help the community out. It was just heartbreaking when Isee these older folksget on the bus to go all the way on the other side of town just to get groceries because everything on our side of town seems to notbe important.” Starwood said he used his own -
was sentenced in 2015 to a day in jail and one year of supervised release after a 2013 video surfaced of him attacking a handcuffed man at the Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival that year, according to reports. He later pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of depriving a man of his civil rights by use of excessive force. At the Tuesday meeting, there were gunshots and bottles thrown.
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“I called everyresourcein Lafayette to help me, even with thiscoronavirus,” he said. “The government claimed to have all these resourcesfor smallbusinesses, but we couldn’tseem to find adollar of it.”
Other developments along the Thruway include: n Baton Rouge attorneys Harry DanielsIII andChristopher Washington bought property at 718 NW Evangeline Thruway
His team began to arrest people when he struck a handcuffed man twice who was attempting to get up after he was told to remain lying on the ground, he said.
Since then, Laperouse said he has since become a use of force instructor for the St. Martinville Police Department. Laperouse was fired from the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office following an internal investigation. He joined the St. Martinville Police Department in 2015 as a patrol officer after serving his conviction, according to KLFY
y JOHN BALLANCE ile celebrity on Thursday.
BRIEFS
Aldi plans to sell about 170 Winn-Dixie stores
Less than a year after it closed a deal with Southeastern Grocers to buy all of its WinnDixie and Harveys locations, Aldi said Friday it will sell about 170 of the supermarkets to a group of private investors. Aldi did not immediately identify which Winn-Dixie stores in Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and Florida will be sold to the group. According to the company website, there are 16 Winn-Dixie stores in south Louisiana
The group that is purchasing the stores includes the president and CEO of Southeastern Grocers and C&S Wholesale Grocers. C&S had a deal to buy more than 400 supermarkets from Kroger and Albertsons as part of a deal to help smooth the merger between the two chains, but that fell through after judges in Oregon and Washington shot down the merger
When Aldi announced its plans to purchase Southeastern Grocers, the fast-growing supermarket chain said it would convert many of the Winn-Dixie and Harveys stores. Aldi said it would convert about 220 of the stores to its format over the next two years. At least four former south Louisiana Winn-Dixies are currently being rebranded as Aldi stores By the end of the year, Aldi said about 100 stores will be converted to its brand. Aldi stores are smaller than WinnDixie locations and don’t have amenities such as fresh meat and seafood departments But the stores have lower costs because of the limited inventory and features like self-bagging and asking customers to put down a 25-cent deposit on shopping carts.
Bally’s acquires both downtown BR casinos
Bally’s has completed the purchase of The Queen Casino & Entertainment, a deal that gives it control of both downtown Baton Rouge casinos
Bally’s purchased Standard General, which funds owned the majority of The Queen, in an all-stock deal that closed Friday Queen shareholders received 30.5 million shares of Bally’s stock, which was trading at $18.24 a share Friday morning.
The Queen’s holdings include The Queen Baton Rouge and the Belle of Baton Rouge. The Belle is undergoing a $141 million redevelopment, which will move the city’s oldest casino onto land and reopen a 242room hotel that has been closed since the COVID pandemic. The hotel is set to open in April while the expanded casino is set to open in the fall. The Belle will be rebranded with a new name. Terry Downey, president and CEO of The Queen, said the deal will not affect operations at either local casino.
The deal gives Bally’s 19 casinos across the U.S. The company already owned Bally’s Shreveport and the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Biloxi. The company is developing a landbased casino in Chicago and has rights to develop property in Las Vegas, around a proposed Major League Baseball stadium.
Local firm buys NAI Latter & Blum
New york real estate giant sold company after a year
BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer
Less than a year after Compass
Real Estate, the nation’s largest real estate company, purchased Latter & Blum from its longtime local owners, the New York real estate giant has sold the commercial brokerage division back to New Orleans owners — Rampart/ Wurth Holding Company
Rampart/Wurth is already the largest third-party property management firm in the Gulf South, managing more than 10,000 apartments and 20 million square feet of
office space and shopping centers.
Acquiring NAI Latter & Blum, as the commercial brokerage is known, will create the state’s largest full-service commercial real estate firm, CEO Joseph Pappalardo Sr said.
“This acquisition represents a significant step forward in Rampart/Wurth’s mission to deliver unparalleled commercial real estate services across the Gulf South and beyond,” Pappalardo said in a prepared statement. “We are creating a powerhouse capable of serving a diverse array of our clients’ needs.”
Rampart/Wurth Holding has deep ties to Latter & Blum. It was founded in 1989 by Pappalardo and former Latter & Blum CEO Robert W. Merrick Jr to do property management for the firm. Over the years, it grew and eventually spun off from Latter & Blum Real Estate, though it continued doing business as Latter & Blum Property Management. In early 2023, it changed its name to Rampart/Wurth Holding Co. to end decades of confusion for clients of both companies, Pappalardo said at the time. The commercial brokerage,
which has 92 agents and five offices across Louisiana, will continue to operate as NAI Latter & Blum Commercial for now In May, the company will announce a new name. It joins Rampart/Wurth’s other business divisions, Wurth Real Estate Services, Rampart Commercial Management and Rampart Multifamily Management. Rampart/Wurth principal Michael Ricci said the deal came together within the last six months. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed but Ricci said the company will be taking over NAI Latter and Blum’s 1,200 commercial listings. Latter & Blum | Compass Residential is not a part of the deal.
Clean energy push focuses on profit
Leaders tailor message to emphasize money, jobs
BY SETH BORENSTEIN and ALEXA ST JOHN Associated Press
WASHINGTON Saving the planet is so
2024. Clean energy leaders across the globe are now tailoring their messages to emphasize the greener side of green: wealth-building. It’s an idea that sells far better in the new world of nationalism and tycoon leaders.
Messaging from the U.S. renewable energy industry and the United Nations on climate change has typically focused on the urgent need to cut greenhouse gas emissions for the sake of environmental and human health To bolster the argument, they cite record-shattering heat around the world, the frequent climate disasters costing billions of dollars and the human toll of it all.
But a sharper emphasis on profit potential has become evident as President Donald Trump stormed into office with a flurry of rollbacks to clean energy initiatives and an emphatic declaration of plans to “unleash” oil, gas and mining. In a lobbying blitz in Washington this week, solar, wind, hydropower and other cleanenergy interests touted their role in a “robust American energy and manufacturing economy” and sported lapel pins that said “American energy dominance” — a favorite Trump phrase.
Meanwhile, in a major policy speech Thursday in Brazil, the U.N.’s top climate official played up the $2 trillion flowing into clean-energy projects and recalled a friend telling him that appealing to people’s “better angels” only goes so far That friend, according to U.N. Climate
Executive Secretary Simon Stiell, added:
“In the great horserace of life ‘always back self-interest what’s in it for me.’” It’s not that clean energy backers haven’t made the case before. But a different landscape, especially in the U.S., stands to make it more potent.
“It’s a very winning message for outreach to conservatives because it’s really true,” said former U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis, a South Carolina Republican who founded the conservative climate group RepublicEN.org. “If we play our cards right and lead the world to this, we can create a lot of wealth, create a lot of jobs here in America.”
Inglis pointed to Elon Musk’s empire-
building on electric cars, solar panels and batteries.
“When right-of-center people hear, ’You know, you can you make a profit at this,’ then it makes sense. Otherwise, it’s like, why are people giving stuff away?” Inglis said.
Jobs especially have long been a big selling point for solar and wind energy and electric cars, but there’s a push to not think of self-interest as a dirty word — and instead to harness it United Nations officials said. When Stiell mentioned the $2 trillion in his speech for clean energy, he called it “unstoppable because of the colossal scale of economic opportunity it presents.”
BY BOB WARREN Staff writer
Years after it was expected to be operational, it appears work will begin soon to finish and open the $40 million Amazon facility in Slidell.
But don’t look for company officials to provide a possible opening date yet.
The online retail giant has pulled two city permits: for interior work at the huge building, and to erect signage on it, acting Slidell Mayor Bill Borchert said.
An Amazon spokesperson, Steve Kelly, said this week that the Slidell facility remains in the company’s long-term plans, even
though its opening has been delayed.
Kelly said the company does not have an anticipated opening date that it can provide. He has said in previous interviews that hiring won’t begin until the center is 30 to 60 days from being operational
“Work is ongoing in preparation for the facility to come online,” Kelly said in an email. “That work is currently concentrated on building out our internal construction including racking and conveyance.”
“As construction progresses, we should have a better idea of a launch timeline,” he added in the email. The exterior of the
140,000-square-foot facility on Town Center Parkway near Old Spanish Trail has been complete for several years. But the company has said it still must be outfitted with racks, conveyors and other equipment
Amazon announced the Slidell center in 2021, with an initial opening date targeted for 2022. The opening has been pushed back several times, and Kelly declined to even offer a ballpark timeframe.
Officials in St. Tammany have been anxiously awaiting the opening of the center, which they have said will bring 250-400 jobs. While dates remain hazy for Slidell, Amazon has been busy in Louisiana.
Last June, Amazon opened a $200 million, 3.4 million-squarefoot facility in Baton Rouge at the former Cortana Mall. More than 1,000 people could eventually work at that site, the company said. Another Amazon facility, in Shreveport, opened last October and employs more than 1,300 people. The facilities in Baton Rouge and Shreveport are the company’s large “fulfillment centers.” The center in Slidell will be somewhat smaller and is often referred to a “last-stop center” because it is the final stopping point for packages before they are delivered to customers.
New Orleans is a football town Cheering for the Tulane Green Wave and LSU Tigers is as much a part of the culture as eating red beans and rice. Hosting the Sugar Bowl has been an annual rite since 1935.
But New Orleans didn’t join the ranks of professional football cities until Louisiana U.S Rep Hale Boggs and Sen. Russell Long made a deal in Congress to allow the NFL and AFL to merge. Soon thereafter, the Saints came marching into Louisiana’s psyche on All Saints Day, 1966. The Saints first played in Tulane Stadium, then moved to the Superdome in 1975. A colorful, canny businessman named Tom Benson bought the team in 1985, keeping it from relocating. The Saints are now owned by his widow, business leader and philanthropist Gayle Benson.
In 2009, destruction and gloom caused by Hurricane Katrina still covered the city like a funeral shroud. But when the Saints won that season’s Super Bowl, its spirit came back alive. “Amen” bannered the front page of The Times-Picayune.
New Orleans has hosted 11 Super Bowls, 91 Sugar Bowls, one CFP and four BCS championship games, as well as the annual Bayou Classic that pits Grambling State against Southern University The Superdome is where LSU won the BCS in 2007 and the CFP in 2019. Football stars linked to Louisiana include the Manning family (Peyton, Eli and Archie), Joe Burrow, Bert Jones, Bobby Hebert, Jim Taylor, Ed Reed, Marshall Faulk, Odell Beckham Jr., Reggie Wayne and Terry Bradshaw, to name a few. But there’s more to the region’s rich sports history than football.
“Before 1850, organized athletic activity in New Orleans was largely limited to such upper-class amusements as horse racing, yachting, cricket, and hunt clubs,” wrote historian Roger Fischer As time went by, “rich and poor, white and black alike, began to occupy their idle hours with such diversions as baseball, bowling, cycling, billiards, roller skating, tennis, golf, and football.”
In the late 1800s, New Orleans became the “boxing mecca of the United States,” noted Fischer, when bare-knuckled prizefighter John L. Sullivan defeated world champion Paddy Ryan to claim the heavyweight title James Corbett took it away at New Orleans’ Olympic Club in 1892. Horse racing goes back to 1837. Author Dale A Somers reminds us that New Orleans racing determined American thoroughbred supremacy in the mid-1850s The New Orleans Fairgrounds is now America’s second oldest track still in operation. The 1924 Kentucky Derby winner, Black Gold, is buried in its infield. The son of Secretariat, Risen Star, won the Louisiana Derby and went on to win both the Preakness and Belmont Stakes in 1988.
The city’s first NBA team was the New Orleans Jazz (1974-79), which moved to Utah but still, for some unknown reason, uses the name. The current NBA team moved here in 2002. It started as the Hornets but is now the Pelicans, and plays in the Smoothie King Center. It has qualified for nine NBA playoffs, with two victories and one division title.
New Orleans has hosted six men’s and three women’s Final Fours. The city’s own Clara Baer published the first rulebook for women’s basketball.
NBA and college basketball rosters have been built around Louisiana talent, such as Bob Pettit, Willis Reed, Elvin Hayes and Joe Dumars. “Pistol Pete” Maravich earned his chops at LSU, where he scored 3,667 points in his three years of varsity play New Orleans started playing baseball 150 years ago. The baseball Pelicans debuted in 1887, winning their second Southern Association pennant thanks largely to the hitting of Shoeless Joe Jackson. Attendance peaked at 400,000 in 1947. They moved in 1960 and returned for a single season in 1977. The city has hosted spring training for countless teams, from the Cubs to the Yankees Legendary Negro League baseball teams called New Orleans home, including the Stars, Black Pelicans Creoles, Pinchbacks and Eagles Even Louis Armstrong sponsored his own club in the early 1930s, the Secret Nine. Baseball wasn’t integrated until 1947.
In 1993, the AAA Denver Zephyrs, a Milwaukee Brewers farm team, moved to New Orleans. After rebranding itself the Baby Cakes, the team left town after 27 years. In golf, New Orleans hosts the Zurich Classic, the only PGA tour event in the region The city also sponsors tennis and bowling tournaments, such as the NOLA Fall Classic. New Orleans may be the city that care forgot — but when it comes to sports, it has a long memory Ron Faucheux is a nonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer based in Louisiana. He publishes LunchtimePolitics.com, a nationwide newsletter on polls and public opinion
Your recent article, “Louisiana entrepreneur wins prize with an AI program,” mentions how Cantaloupe AI, created by a Louisiana startup, has been used to expedite the application and interview process by allowing artificial intelligence to conduct immediate voice interviews, thinning out the applicant pool. This way of conducting job interviews and applicants could cause some concern. Potential bias from the AI interview could prevent applicants from having a fair chance and the opportunity for face-to-face interactions with the company AI could also be discriminatory if not trained with the proper models and guidelines, further
disqualifying potentially qualified applicants. However, with transparency and oversight from the company, this issue could be negated with proper maintenance and training. With this being said, Louisiana companies should be allowed to modernize and have the resources available while maintaining ethics with new technologies. Artificial intelligence is an amazing tool that can be used to improve our lives and make tedious tasks easier, but certain precautions should be set in place so that applicants and companies can benefit from a more streamlined interview process.
CLINT JONES Slidell
Respectfully I ask that the newspaper assign a crackerjack political reporter or editor to interview our senator Dr Bill Cassidy, and ask him for one reason just one for his committee vote to approve the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr as secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. And, ask him if the vote fulfills
the oaths that he took, both the Code of Ethics at the LSU School of Medicine to become a physician and the oath of office he took to become a U.S. senator, especially this part: “That I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter So help me God.”
KATHLEEN RANDALL Baton Rouge
Four years ago, Jan. 6 was one of the worst events I have witnessed on TV, exceeded only by 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.
I watched with horror as marauding thugs (not tourists) stormed our seat of government, breaking windows and doors, attacking journalists and police whose job it was to secure the premises and who were greatly outnumbered. They threatened the vice president and members of Congress and defiled the Capitol with graffiti and feces.
I have followed the efforts of the Justice Department to locate and prosecute these violent lawbreakers, many of whom have admitted their guilt.
Now President Donald Trump
has released all of these violent lawbreakers with the stroke of a pen. What happened to the party that used to espouse law and order? What a slap in the face to our country’s laws and to its lawmakers who have cowered rather than confronted this affront. I am reminded of Hitler’s rise to power which was aided by his use of the brownshirts — a band of bullies and thugs who attacked Jews and Hitler’s political opponents.
Now Trump has a band of thugs loyal to him who are free to continue their lawless behavior. We should be all incensed and afraid of what will follow NANCY PICARD
Mandeville
Give a chance to Landry’s plan for temporary homeless shelter
This is regarding the story about the homeless shelter being established on France Road.
I found the story very interesting, especially the comments from New Orleans council member Lesli Harris and several of the prospective residents.
There are complaints about the lack of heating, sanitary services and mental health services at the new facility Along with the article, there were several photos of the facility and the homeless camp from where the people were being relocated.
My observation is that these people will be much better off in the new shelter than living on the street. There may be some kinks to work out, but it is certainly a better option than living in the elements, especially in light of the freezing temperatures we recently endured.
I say good for Gov Jeff Landry for doing something positive. The city and the advocates for the homeless should, instead of criticizing the project for what it lacks, add their support and resources to help make it work and possibly become a model that can be used in other communities. It seems to me that other current efforts to curb homelessness are showing very little success, if not just prolonging the problem.
JEFF WILSON Mandeville
I welcome President Donald Trump to New Orleans and the grand Super Bowl. I hope he and others will have time to rub shoulders and interact with New Orleans folks.
We are a hospitality city We welcome newcomers; we share good times over great meals; we help each other out and we help others. Maybe the president will love these qualities and take them back to Washington.
CAROL ALLEN New Orleans
Ron Faucheux
Wanting Moore?
Eagles OC made rapid ascent to become Saints’ top head coaching target
BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer
Kellen Moore, like practically every other quarterback listed at 6 feet or shorter, grew up a fan of Drew Brees.
But it wasn’t until Moore reached the NFL that he truly could appreciate the former New Orleans Saints quarterback’s success. In 2014, when the Detroit Lions hired then offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, the former Boise State quarterback suddenly had to learn the same Brees-Sean Payton offense that his new coach brought with him. Moore, three years into his career as an undrafted free agent, came to understand the scheme’s “nuances” and “subtleties,” built in by the complex minds of the quarterback and coach duo.
Then, as a coach, Moore intertwined with the scheme again. As the Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator in 2023, Moore was tapped to replace Lombardi which meant he had to install his own system and carry over any parts of the old offense that worked for his players.
“It was a really impressive system to learn,” Moore said Moore has spent his life learning — and blending together — offensive systems, first as the son of a high school football coach who used to draw plays up on the couch for his dad, then later as an offensive coordinator for three different teams. Now, he finds himself at the sport’s pinnacle event.
On Sunday, Moore will call plays for the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX against the Kansas City Chiefs. By Monday, he could become the next coach of the New Orleans Saints Landing such a job would complete the path that Moore seemed destined for when he hung up his cleats in 2018 at age 28 and became an offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys just one year later Over the last six years, Moore has been linked to — and interviewed for various head coaching jobs.
He turned down an opportunity to coach his alma mater in 2021. That same year, his first NFL head coaching interview came, coincidentally with the Eagles. Others occurred yearly after that. The Vikings, Broncos, Dolphins and Jaguars in 2022. The Panthers in 2023. The Chargers in 2024. Then last month, he hit the circuit with several teams again. Interviews with the Saints, Cowboys and Jaguars all came. And it’s the Saints, who have interviewed Moore twice and want another meeting as soon as the Super Bowl ends, that appear poised to land him
That several interviews happened after Moore’s season with the Eagles
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By TyLER KAUFMAN Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts speaks with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore during a game against the Saints on Sept. 22 in the Caesars Superdome. Moore is considered the top candidate to become New Orleans’ next head coach.
“He’s been fantastic as our offensive coordinator. You know you go from an offensive coordinator to leading the entire team, but you’re still in charge of 30 guys there on the offensive side. So it’s a good preview of the type of head coach he’ll be.”
NICK SIRIANNI, Eagles coach on Kellen Moore
shouldn’t be cast off as a coincidence
In his first year with Philadelphia, Moore’s arrival helped freshen up an offense that coach Nick Sirianni described as stale after last season. He has helped craft the league’s leading rushing attack one that maximizes star Saquon Barkley and modernizes
it with a blend of different formations, play calls and tendencies.
At 36 years old, Moore is still one of the NFL’s youngest coordinators despite this being his sixth season of calling plays.
ä See MOORE, page 4C
Seton Hall spoils Habetz’s debut
Saints got close look at Chiefs, Eagles
N.O. players weigh in on outcome after playing both
BY ROD WALKER Staff writer
New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Bryan Bresee saw the two teams that will play in Super Bowl LIX up close and personal this season.
In fact, he faced the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs in a span of 15 days. Both were Saints’ losses. So which team does believe will hoist the Lombardi Trophy in the Caesars Superdome on Sunday night?
“That’s tough,” Bresee said. “I really couldn’t give you confidently a prediction on one team or the other I really think it’s a coin toss.”
It’s not often that the Saints have played both Super Bowl teams in the same season — just the eighth time it’s happened. It’s the first time since 2020 when the Saints played both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Chiefs. In the regular season, the Saints lost to the Chiefs and beat the Bucs twice. But
ä See SAINTS, page 4C
FEB. 9 • NEW ORLEANS Countingdowntothebiggamewithalook backatSuperBowlmomentsinNewOrleans: HARD-HITTING SAFETY LOTT WINS TITLE NO. 4 IN BLOWOUT VICTORY
The San Francisco 49ers were most known for their powerful offense leading up to Super Bowl XXIV on Jan. 28, 1990, against the Denver Broncos but their defense wasn’t far off.
The 49ers outscored opponents by a combined 55 points in their two playoff games leading up to the game, with their defense allowing only 20 total points. Free safety and defensive leader Ronnie Lott had an interception in both contests.
Lott didn’t have a gaudy stat line against the Broncos, but he didn’t need to with the rest of the 49ers defense stepping up for a combined six sacks and a pair of interceptions in a 55-10 victory.
The 49ers Super Bowl triumph at the Superdome was their fourth title in franchise history. It was also the fourth for Lott and Super Bowl MVP Joe Montana.
as UL coach
New-look Cajuns can’t overcome eight walks in loss to Pirates
NICK FONTENOT Contributing writer
The environment at Lamson Park can take a little time to get accustomed to for anyone who never has experienced it before. That’s the case even if the crowd is rooting for you, according to first-year UL softball coach Alyson Habetz. The raucous crowd was certainly on the Cajuns’ side Thursday night, but a roster filled with new faces dropped the season opener to Seton Hall 4-2. Cajuns pitchers allowed eight walks, and a defensive error in the second inning allowed a run to score. Habetz said adversity in her first season has come early, but she said she’s confident the team is ready to face it head on.
“We know the adversity and the struggle is going to happen,” Habetz said. “Obviously, we didn’t
“We know the adversity and the struggle is going to happen. Obviously, we didn’t want the struggle in the first game, but that’s part of it.”
ALySONHABETZ,ULcoach
want the struggle in the first game, but that’s part of it. It’s part of the growth process. We gave too many freebies and that happens. But we had a chance to win in the end, and that’s what I love.” Down 4-2 in the seventh inning, the Cajuns brought the go-ahead run to the plate in Emily Smith, who had homered in the first inning. She drew a walk, which loaded the bases for Sam Roe. Roe popped out on the first pitch to end the rally but it was the resolve the Cajuns showed that Ha-
betz said she was pleased with despite the loss.
“We didn’t come through that time, but tomorrow we’re going to come through,” Habetz said “We never died in any inning. We were at least threatening, and I thought we had some really good at-bats. Just, you know, too many freebies.”
Habetz said she couldn’t quite put her finger on what led to the walks. Tyra Clary, who started the game for the Cajuns, gave up six walks. Mallory Wheeler allowed two more in relief.
Habetz said jitters may have played a role, but she was adamant about the fact that nothing that happened Thursday diminished her confidence in Clary and Wheeler as key components of the team.
UL coach Alyson Habetz, right, talks to catcher Savannah White before her at-bat against Seton Hall on Thursday night at Lamson Park. The Cajuns lost 4-2 in their season opener and Habetz’s debut as the UL coach.
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP
9:30
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1 p.m.
8 p.m.
St. at Southern Cal FOX MEN’S COLLEGE HOCKEY
7 p.m. Michigan St. vs. Michigan BTN COLLEGE SOFTBALL
noon Missouri vs. Duke MLBN
3 p.m. Nebraska vs.Texas Tech MLBN
6 p.m. Tennessee vs Northwestern MLBN GOLF
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Tiger ready to compete in Genesis next weekend
Tiger Woods committed Friday to playing the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines in San Diego, returning to one of his favorite venues for his first PGA Tour start since the British Open in July Woods will be playing and walking — 18 holes next weekend in competition for the first time since he had a microdiscectomy in September to alleviate pain down his legs, his sixth surgery on his lower back.
Woods is the host of the Genesis Invitational, which was moved from Riviera Country Club because of wildfires that devastated the surrounding Los Angeles community of Pacific Palisades. He has never won at Riviera, but his eight wins at Torrey Pines include the 2008 U.S. Open.
Indiana basketball coach
Woodson set to step down
Indiana basketball coach Mike Woodson is leaving his alma mater on his own terms.
The 66-year-old Woodson, who has been under fire most of the past two seasons because of underperforming teams, decided to step down at the end of this season, the school announced Friday
LSU aims to flip script on Ole Miss
BY TOYLOY BROWN III
Staff writer
Flying off screens is one of Cam Carter’s specialties.
The LSU men’s basketball guard sped to the left side to two off-ball screens that impeded the trailing defender Carter was free and ready to hoist a shot from above the 3-point arc with eight minutes remaining in the game.
But the pass came too late. Freshman point guard Curtis Givens was too preoccupied with keeping his dribble at the top of the key and missed LSU’s leading scorer when he was open The ball was delivered when the defender was back in front of Carter Coach Matt McMahon went from a focused, crouched position on the sideline to immediately standing up in frustration Carter felt similarly as he hopped to get Givens’ attention to pass the ball. Inattentiveness and a lack of sharpness were at the core of consecutive poor showings for LSU (12-10, 1-8 SEC). Moments like these must be minimized if it wants a chance to beat No. 25 Ole Miss (176, 6-4) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center
Disciplined defense
Defense is the aspect of LSU’s play that has dropped most precipitously
Its last two opponents shot 49.2% and 56.3%, which are the two highest field-goal percentages posted against LSU this season. Coincidentally, the third-best shooting outing occurred in its first meeting against Ole Miss. The Rebels shot 49.1% in a 77-65 win Jan. 11.
A repeat poor effort would not bode well for LSU’s chances for an upset. The Tigers can rectify their diminished defense if they are more physical and connected
While LSU is blessed with more wiry athletes than powerful ones, it has to avoid being pushed
LSU forward Daimion Collins finishes a dunk against Florida Golf Coast
the Peter Maravich Assembly Center The Tigers will try to avenge
ä Ole Miss at LSU 7:30
SECN
around as frequently in the paint and on the perimeter
Imposing its force is only one part of the solution. The Tigers’ awareness and connectedness have dropped off. One basket with 11:32 left in the game against Georgia illustrates the issue.
A Georgia guard had a step driving on Carter. The senior remained in position and would have made it a difficult layup.
Daimion Collins was the nearest paint defender and detached from his assignment to jump for a block on an already well-guarded shot. The ballhandler recognized the extra defender and delivered
a wrap-around pass to his wideopen teammate LSU’s Corey Chest was in the picture in the paint and could have rotated to Collins’ man However, the redshirt freshman was unaware and did not make an impression. Too many disjointed sequences like this could crater any chance LSU has to beat Ole Miss. Protect the ball
Limiting turnovers is a critical factor in practically every game LSU plays. It is 317th in the country in turnover percentage on KenPom as of Friday for a reason.
Securing possession is even more important as Ole Miss is 21st in the country in turnovers forced per game (15.4). It’s also
elite at protecting the ball itself as it is first in the country in turnover percentage on KenPom.
The Rebels top ballhandlers Jaylen Murray and Sean Pedulla have a combined 42 fewer turnovers than LSU’s backcourt duo of Carter and Jordan Sears. The Ole Miss pair also have played one more game.
If LSU doesn’t get obliterated in the turnover battle, it can compete with Ole Miss. LSU had four more turnovers in the first matchup but still shot four more field goals thanks to its offensive rebounding strength. Ole Miss is a tough out but has lost four of its last six games. This could be the ideal opportunity the Tigers need to end a five-game slide.
LSU women receive unlikely offensive boost
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
It had been a while since any of the LSU women’s basketball reserves affected a game quite like Mjracle Sheppard did in a tough road win over Missouri Sheppard, a transfer guard, is a long, lanky defensive specialist. Before Thursday, the sophomore hadn’t logged more than 19 minutes in a game all season. The most action she saw against a Southeastern Conference opponent was 14 minutes of mostly mop-up duty in the No. 6 Tigers’ lopsided Jan. 2 win over Arkansas. LSU’s 71-60 win over Missouri turned into a much tighter battle, yet coach Kim Mulkey trusted Sheppard with 28 minutes of run that she used to score 11 points, snare seven rebounds and give the Tigers a spark they sorely needed. LSU outscored Missouri by 17 points in the time she was on the floor “Mjracle was outstanding tonight,” Mulkey said. “She pres-
ä Tennessee at LSU 3 P.M. SUNDAy, ESPN
sured the ball. She’s very active rebounding the ball for her size, and we sure needed her to be as good as she was tonight. It was very good for her confidence.”
That belief stems from LSU’s first exhibition, a game in which Sheppard tallied 12 points, six rebounds and six steals in 25 minutes. The Mississippi State transfer hasn’t seen that kind of opportunity since then because a stress reaction injury in her foot shelved her for the first month of the season. By the time she returned for a Thanksgiving trip to The Bahamas, Mulkey already had begun tightening her rotation, leaving little room inside of it for the player she once deemed her best defender
Shayeann Day-Wilson won the battle for lead ballhandling duties. Kailyn Gilbert emerged as a scoring threat off the bench. Even Jada Richard a 5-foot-7 freshman from Lafayette, crept her way
onto the floor while LSU searched for someone who could hit open shots on the perimeter
Sheppard won’t threaten opposing defenses from beyond the arc. But Mulkey is always happy to save a spot in her rotation for an extra perimeter defender, especially when one of her best — Last-Tear Poa falls outside of it for LSU’s wins over Texas A&M, No. 15 Oklahoma and Mississippi State
The problem was that Sheppard, in her limited time on the floor, was tallying more turnovers and fouls than points and assists.
That is, until her activity earned her 28 minutes on Thursday against Missouri.
“She’s been trying to get back in the lineup,” Mulkey said, “and sometimes when you try, you force things. Force a bad shot, or you have a turnover.”
Instead, Sheppard started forcing turnovers. With seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, Flau’jae Johnson missed a 3-pointer giving Missouri a chance to move within
two possessions of LSU at the other end.
But before Laniah Randle could dribble outside of her own 3-point arc, Sheppard snuck behind her and poked the ball loose. It bounced to Aneesah Morrow, who lobbed a pass for an easy layup chance to Sheppard, who added three more buckets to help the Tigers preserve their lead.
Another layup off a nicely timed cut. A spinning floater away from a tumbling defender Then one final lay-in she scored from the baseline after her defender helped on a drive by Mikaylah Williams. Those field goals pushed Sheppard into double figures and gave the LSU bench 21 points the most it’s scored in a game in nearly a month.
The Tigers needed all those points to avoid an upset loss to Missouri.
“She deserves to have that kind of game,” Mulkey said, “because that’s how she was playing before she got injured.”
The Hoosiers missed last year’s NCAA Tournament for the first time since Woodson took the job in 2021-22, and they’re in danger of being left out of the 68-team field again this season.
Indiana (14-9, 5-7 Big Ten) heads into Saturday’s matchup against Michigan having lost four straight games and six of seven. The Hoosiers were this season’s preseason pick to finish second in the Big Ten.
WR Hill changes course, wants to stick in Miami
Tyreek Hill wants to stay in Miami, and he regrets his comments after the Dolphins’ final game of the season that suggested he wanted out.
The receiver said he doesn’t want to play for another team when asked Friday on the “Up & Adams” show about his comments after Miami’s regular-season finale against the Jets, when the Dolphins were eliminated from playoff contention.
Not happy with missing the postseason for the first time in his career Hill said afterward: “For me, I have to do what’s best for me and my family, if that’s here or wherever the case may be. I’m (going to) open that door for myself. I’m opening the door I’m out, bro.”
NFL Hall of Famer Faulk to coach Colorado RBs
Deion Sanders added another Pro Football Hall of Famer to his staff at Colorado by bringing in Marshall Faulk to oversee the running backs.
Faulk becomes the third member of the Buffaloes’ coaching ranks to boast a gold jacket, joining Warren Sapp and Sanders Sapp is the senior quality control analyst for the defense.
Faulk will try to improve a running game that’s been one of the worst in the nation the last two seasons. The Colorado offense has relied heavily on quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter who both will get drafted in April.
Faulk was a dual threat out of the backfield over a 12-year career with the Indianapolis Colts and the St. Louis Rams.
Detry sits at 12 under for Phoenix Open lead
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Thomas Detry nearly aced the par-3 16th hole and shot a 7-under 64 in the second round to take a two-shot lead in the Phoenix Open on Friday
Detry had eight birdies and a bogey to reach 12 under on another day of perfect conditions at TPC Sawgrass. Michael Kim shot a bogey-free 63 to reach 10 under and was tied with Alex Smalley, who shot 65.
Jordan Spieth put himself in the mix with eagles on 13 and 15, shooting 65 to reach 9 under in his second tournament since offseason wrist surgery Argentine Emiliano Grillo set off the biggest roar of the day, slamdunking his tee shot on the rowdy par-3 16th for an ace.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
in the second half on Dec. 8 at
THE VARSITY ZONE
Lafayette High’s Brea Bailey, left, and St.Amant’s Cori Bergeron fight for the ball in a Division I regional playoff match played Thursday at the Northside High field.
PHOTO By ROBIN MAy
Lafayette High girls find
their groove in 2nd half
Lions advance to quarterfinals with victory over St. Amant
BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributing writer
Lafayette High kept knocking on the door in its Division I girls soccer regional playoff game on Thursday, and eventually the Lions burst through the frame.
After being held at bay until late in the first half, the No. 6-seeded Lions scored a goal in stoppage time and added two in the second half to defeat No. 11 St. Amant 3-1 at Northside High.
“It wasn’t our cleanest or best game,” Lions coach John Carriere said. “We left a lot of goals on the table, but at the end of the day, the girls showed a lot of resilience and they saw it through at the end.”
Lafayette High (20-3-2) pummeled Gators goalkeeper Addison Champagne with shots that were turned away by diving saves in the first half.
Star senior Brea Bailey just missed several opportunities before finding Lucy Chauvin with a pass in stoppage time.
“Lucy called, ‘ball, ball, ball!’ ” said Bailey, who scored the final goal in addition to the assist on Chauvin’s shot, which was placed into the top left corner of the net from around 25 yards out Early in the second half, St. Amant (17-6-1) appeared to tie it up on a breakaway goal by Natalie Heintze, but a foul took the score off the board. With 22 minutes left, the Lions extended the lead to 2-0 on a set piece.
Ava Pfeifer’s long free kick made its way into the box at the same time as sophomore Raphaelle Chang-Fong, who was in charge of making a near-post run and scored.
“Ava put a really good ball into the box,” Carriere said. “It was one of the plays we practice. (ChangFong) touched it, and it went in. Sometimes that’s all you need.
Area boys pairings, scores Division I Regional ro
LSU’s Johnson says Brown will focus on hitting for now
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
LSU baseball player Jake Brown’s focus has been simplified to just hitting ahead of the start of the 2025 season, coach Jay Johnson said Friday After pitching during fall practices, Brown, a sophomore outfielder/left-handed pitcher, has not toed the rubber this preseason. He did not pitch for the Tigers last year despite being drafted as a pitcher out of high school by the Texas Rangers.
“Anytime you’re trying to get a player better at something, I try to simplify things,” Johnson said. Johnson, however, would not rule out a return to the mound for Brown this season. Injuries and the Tigers having fewer lefthanded pitching options than last year might keep the door open for Brown to pitch again.
But Johnson is confident in the Tigers’ left-handed options and noted that their right-handed pitchers are better equipped to retire left-handed hitters than at any point before during his tenure at LSU.
“We’ll see how that goes,” Johnson said. Brown is seemingly content with simplifying his role ahead of the new season, saying that it will allow him to focus on becoming the
best hitter he can be.
“I think just being able to be where my feet are and trying to limit all the stuff that can affect me on the outside, whether that’s what’s going on the next day what’s going on the previous day, whether that’s pitching, whether that’s school work, anything,” Brown said.
“If I can just eliminate that and focus on being in the batter’s box and doing my job at that time, that always makes it easier.”
Brown, according to Johnson, had a strong fall at the plate, but his starting spot in the outfield isn’t guaranteed.
Auburn transfer Chris Stanfield and freshman Derek Curiel have impressed offensively and defensively through fall practices and the preseason.
Sophomore Ashton Larson and senior Josh Pearson are also returning starters, while junior Ethan Frey is a weapon against left-handed pitching and healthy again after he played through a shoulder injury for most of last year
“I think the depth of that group on this roster is probably the strength of the team,” Johnson said.
“Lucy’s goal was really gorgeous Brea is Brea. She is going to find a way to score.”
Senior Addison Zerangue assisted on Bailey’s goal with less than 15 minutes remaining. Champagne came out from the net and approached Bailey, who gave the Lions breathing room by sliding the ball into the back of the net
“I got goose bumps,” said Bailey, a four-year starter “I think we’re a great team that can do great things if we have a winning mindset We’re a young team As an older player, I know how hard we need to work to be able to win games.
“This is one of our best years. We play as a team. We communicate off the field. We just have a
great bond overall.”
The Lions travel to Benton (20-3-3), which defeated No. 30 Woodlawn-BR 6-0 and No. 14 West Monroe 2-0, in the quarterfinals on a day and time yet to be set. The game must be played by Tuesday Benton faced two of Lafayette’s district rivals, beating Barbe 3-2 and tying Southside 2-2. The Lions beat Barbe 3-0 and tied Southside 1-1.
“I feel like this is our year that we can maybe make it to state,” said Chauvin, a sophomore. “The main thing we can work on is our communication. I feel like a lot of times, we could’ve talked more.
“We just need to calm down. A lot of times, we just kick it and hope for the best, so if we could just connect passes.”
Lafayette Christian’s Samuels has career night in win over Midland
BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer
Lafayette Christian’s Kaliyah
Samuels had shown flashes of her ability to dominate during her first two seasons.
However, the flashes of brilliance have been in small samples because Samuels battled injuries as a freshman and sophomore.
“Kaliyah has been starting for us the last two years,” Knights coach Errol Rogers said. “But in both of those seasons, she got hurt midway through the year — around Christmas. We knew that she could play and we knew the type of player she could be if she doesn’t get hurt.”
In the Knights’ 65-48 win over the Midland Rebels on Thursday, Samuels turned in a careerbest performance. She scored a career-high 30 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and recorded three steals to lead the Knights to their 20th victory this season.
“I had it on my mind that I was going to put the team on my back (Thursday),” Samuels said. “I just tried to stay consistent the entire
game. If I feel I’m the best player on the floor, then I have to go out there and prove it.”
Rogers said Samuels, a junior post player, is capable of duplicating Thursday’s effort every night
“Kaliyah has really stepped up for us this year,” said Rogers, whose Knights (20-5) extended their winning streak to 15 games.
“We go as she goes. She is playing really well, and I’m not just talking about when she is scoring.
She is playing well defensively, and she is doing a good job of getting the ball to others. She is also becoming a vocal leader on the floor.”
While she was consistent throughout, Samuels stepped things up in the fourth quarter when she scored 12 of the Knights’ 13 points, including 12 in a row
“The key for us was that we played good as a team,” Samuels said “I thought we did a good job of trusting each other, listening to coach and executing what we needed to do.”
Other top scorers for the Knights were Peyton Dean (10 points, three rebounds and two
steals) and Shanna Siemien (nine points, two rebounds). Although Taelyn Taylor didn’t reach double figures in scoring — finishing with six points she affected the game in other ways, finishing with nine rebounds, seven assists and six steals.
“I loved the way that we finished the game,” Rogers said. “I think for the game we had to shoot close to 50% because we were getting a lot of high-percentage shots. We got a lot of layups.”
Offensively, the Rebels (19-10) were led by Camri Primeaux (13 points, six steals, four assists and three rebounds), Daijalee LeBlanc (11 points, three rebounds and two blocks), Tora Savoy (12 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and 3 steals) and MJ Thibodeaux (10 points, five rebounds).
“We have something to prove,” Rogers said. “After losing Jada (Richard) and Eve (Alexander), people were saying that LCA is done. Our girls want to prove that we can play with the best.” Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.
UL
Continued from page 1C
“It certainly wasn’t anything Tyra was doing wrong,” Habetz said. “She went up there and she owned the strike zone. The walks were very uncharacteristic of her
“But again, this environment is somewhat intimidating — even if they’re cheering for you if you haven’t experienced it yet. It’s a lot and make no mistake, I love it.
I love our fans. These are my people, and I want them just the way they were tonight, but I definitely think our inexperience in the environment played some sort of a factor in it.”
Despite the loss, Habetz received a standing ovation from the Lamson faithful.
Habetz said her team would be ready in front of the home crowd Friday evening when the Cajuns face No. 1 Texas. That game ended after press time.
“We were down three runs and they didn’t fold,” Habetz said. “I saw nobody in the dugout who didn’t think we were going to win the game. I think everyone in the dugout and out there thought we were going to win the game. And that’s what it’s about.
“It is about always believing that we’re going to win, and we’re going to find a way. This is home for me and being home is special. To know that I’m supported and, you know, I just want to make them proud. We have a resilient group and we have a gritty group. They just need to give us a chance. I am honored to be here and a part of this Cajun family.”
STAFF
PHOTO
By BRAD KEMP
UL second baseman Mia Liscano throws to first base after forcing out Seton Hall baserunner Naya Martinez at second to complete the double play Thursday at Lamson Park.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSU outfielder Jake Brown is hit by a pitch during a fall baseball scrimmage on Oct. 27 at Alex Box Stadium.
SAINTS
Continued from page 1C
the Bucs won the one that mattered most in the playoffs, the final game of Drew Brees’ career In seasons the Saints played both Super Bowl teams, they are just 4-18 against those teams. The only wins are the two against the Bucs in 2020, a win over the Bengals in 1981 and a win over the St. Louis Rams in 2001. If you include the seasons the Saints played just one of the Super Bowl teams, the record is even worse They are 12-44 all-time against Super Bowl teams.
This year’s 15-12 loss to the Eagles was a game the Saints let slip away The Chiefs game, a 26-13 Monday Night Football loss at Arrowhead Stadium, wasn’t quite as close. Saints players both past and present see this game going either way Quarterback Spencer Rattler, like Bresee, calls it a tossup.
“It’s going to be a good game,” Rattler said. “If the Eagles run the ball like they have, they are going to be tough to beat. They have a good defense. But it’s hard to bet against Mahomes and what they’ve done.”
The oddsmakers in Vegas have it close, too. The Chiefs were just 11/2-point favorites as of Friday morning.
“To me, it’s going to be hard to beat the Chiefs,” former Saints offensive lineman Jermon Bushrod said. “I think it always comes down to that quarterback position. But Philly has a way to win this game. They have a very good offensive line and the best running back in the game. Ground it and pound it and keep that dude (Mahomes) off the field and you have a chance.” The Chiefs are trying to become the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowls. Former Saints receiver
NOT SO SUPER RESULTS
The seasons the Saints played both Super Bowl teams New Orleans is 4-18 in those games.
n 1974 Lost to Steelers, lost to Vikings (0-2) n 1978 Lost to Steelers, lost to Cowboys (0-2) n 1981 Lost to 49ers twice, beat Bengals (1-2) n 1994 Lost to 49ers twice, lost to Chargers (0-3) n 1999 Lost to Rams twice, lost to Titans (0-3) n 2001 Lost to Patriots, split with Rams (1-2) n 2020 Won 2 of 3 vs. Bucs, lost to Chiefs (2-2) n 2024 Lost to Eagles, lost to Chiefs (0-2)
Marques Colston predicts history will be denied.
“I think the Eagles,” Colston said. “The Eagles have a throwback offense with road graders up front and an All-Pro running back. Teams don’t have the personnel to deal with that type of rushing attack.”
The past two Super Bowls played in New Orleans both were decided by three points. The Ravens beat the 49ers 34-31 in 2013. The Patriots beat the Rams 20-17 in 2002.
Receiver Rashid Shaheed doesn’t expect this one to be any different.
“It’s going to be a good game,” Shaheed said. “I think it will come down to whoever has the ball last.”
Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.
MOORE
Continued from page 1C
Moore’s friends and colleagues have long said he’s ready to become an NFL head coach. But this year has been his best argument yet for why that’s the case.
“He’s been fantastic as our offensive coordinator,” Sirianni said. “You know you go from an offensive coordinator to leading the entire team, but you’re still in charge of 30 guys there on the offensive side. So it’s a good preview of the type of head coach he’ll be.”
n n n
If there’s anyone on the Eagles’ roster who should have less than a glowing endorsement of Moore, it is Jahan Dotson.
Dotson, after all, is the third wide receiver in a runfirst offense. In other words, he doesn’t get the ball. And that should be tough to handle for a 24-year-old former first-round pick who was traded to the Eagles from Washington in August
“He’s a brilliant offensive mind,” Dotson said.
Sure, players rarely — if ever — criticize their coaches publicly, but Dotson still raved about the way Moore puts his players in a position to succeed.
“He’s really easy to talk to,” Dotson said. That can go a long way toward massaging concerns about whether Moore, who’s quieter in a media setting, can command a room.
Backup quarterback
Kenny Pickett said Moore’s level of detail was apparent from the beginning, and that earns respect. As soon as the Eagles started to install their offense last spring, Pickett noticed how Moore was “unbelievably clean” in how he communicated the scheme to his players. He made sure they understood it all from the rhythm of the plays to the structure of the formation’s front to every detail in between.
“I think it’s one of my favorite things about playing for Kellen,” Pickett said.
Moore welcomes players’ feedback, too. When the Eagles opened their first drive in the NFC championship game with a 60-yard touchdown run, Moore dialed up a play with a misdirection that he knew Barkley was a fan of.
“If Saquon suddenly says he likes plays, take really good note of it,” Moore said with a grin.
With the Eagles, Moore spent the year tailoring to his personnel — sometimes in dramatic fashion. Philadelphia pass-game coordinator Kevin Patullo said if you turned on the tape of the offense Moore used to run with the Cowboys, it would look “definitely different” from this year’s Eagles.
Some of that, of course, was the inclusion of Barkley after the Eagles lured him away from the New York Giants. But Moore’s changes also boil down to philosophy and adapting to the head coach in charge.
Sirianni is the fourth head coach Moore has worked under in the NFL. Three Jason Garrett, Mike McCarthy and Sirianni — come from an offensive background. While Moore has been allowed to call plays at each stop, he’s had to incorporate their ideas and make sure their offense is tailored to the coach’s vision That’s a necessity of the job, Moore said
But the Eagles also wanted Moore to bring his own ideas. Philadelphia was in search of a new voice on offense after a disappointing end to a 2023 season that saw a 10-1 start crash into an 11-6 finish with a first-round exit.
“When we first got together, and we learned his system, we taught him our system and tried to merge them and went through it all,” Patullo said “A lot of it was just the way he views the game, how he likes to set plays up and sees the long forecast of how
plays are strung together which was unique.
“It was very different. It’s worked well for us.”
n n n
Three years ago, Vic Fangio came into his postgame news conference with a bit of swagger
His Denver Broncos had just put a beatdown on the Dallas Cowboys, holding them scoreless — “a goose egg,” Fangio beamed until a pair of late-game garbage touchdowns. Fangio was so impressed with the win, he boasted that his team had just provided a blueprint to shut down the league’s topranked scoring offense.
“Teams just haven’t played them the right way,” Fangio said.
Moore was still the Cowboys coordinator at that point. And reminded of that game — and Fangio’s bragging — this week, Moore broke out in a laugh.
“It’s come up a couple times,” Moore said.
Moore and Fangio are now together on the Eagles, as the latter was hired as the Philadelphia defensive coordinator last offseason, another move that explains why the Eagles are in the Super Bowl.
But Moore isn’t the same coach who took his medicine against a wily old defensive mastermind in 2021. Neither is Fangio, who, at 66 years old has found ways to consistently innovate his system.
The best coaches find ways to evolve. And the former quarterback feels like he has done that.
“I was fortunate to be a young play-caller, (but) I viewed it from a quarterback’s lens,” Moore said. “Probably early on in my career, I leaned towards solving every problem throwing the football, because you know the answers within that.”
The 2022 season, he said, helped him grow Starter Dak Prescott missed several games and Moore found ways to get production out of the team’s rushing attack to support backup Cooper Rush.
Doug Nussmeier has seen Moore’s evolution at each stop. The current Eagles quarterbacks coach, Nussmeier has followed Moore from Dallas to Los Angeles to Philadelphia. The 54-yearold said Moore’s intellect allows him to keep growing.
“He’s exceptionally smart,” Nussmeier said.
“When it comes to the game, he has the ability to look at the game from so many different viewpoints. I can’t talk about that enough, just how smart he is.”
n n n
When he played quarterback, Moore’s favorite throws were choice routes. He loved the sense of anticipation, the chemistry he had to form with receivers to anticipate which way they would run. And it would take knowledge from each of them to read coverages and make the play
Perhaps this partially explains why Moore found his way into coaching. As a coach, every designed play is a way to get the X’s and O’s to read and react. Moore, even more as a coach than a quarterback, gets to control the chessboard.
But his roots run deeper than that. In the days of the
dial-up, Moore sought out any information he could about football. He’d scour the internet to print off playbooks and buy VHS tapes of all sorts of different offenses. His love for football was guided by his father, Tom a Prosser, Washington, football coach who won four state championships. His brother, Kirby, eventually became a coach as well. The opportunity to coach came much earlier than Moore expected.
In 2016, Moore suffered a season-ending ankle injury in training camp that, in hindsight, paved his way into the profession During that season, the quarterback would go about his rehab in the morning and then tend to his kids in preschool. But in other moments, Moore started to help the coaching staff with that week’s game plan. He served as a go-between in helping Prescott, then a rookie, adjust to an offense that had been tailored for years toward Tony Romo, who was also out most of that year with a back injury
“Like any building, when the quarterback is the quarterback for a long time, there’s a lot of layers,” Moore said.
So Moore decided to eventually peel the layers back full time. By 2018, he chose to retire when the Cowboys reshuffled parts of their coaching staff and offered him the job to coach quarterbacks. Moore realized he was fortunate and knew his playing days were at a crossroads. He played six seasons in the NFL, but he was far from the star he was at Boise State, where he finished with the winningest record of alltime as a starter (51-3).
But even that route was arguably a benefit to Moore in the long run.
“The more you go through as a coach and a player, you’re able to build upon those experiences and you can relate to everybody,” Patullo said. “That’s important. He can relate to the superstars, and he can relate to the guys that are the backups.
“That’s an important trait for all coaches.”
At seven seasons, Moore now has been a coach in the NFL longer than he was as a player His journey has taken him to three stops, all across different parts of the country He was in Dallas long enough, for instance, for Moore’s 10-year-old son to have his favorite NBA player be Luka Doncic. And he was in Los Angeles long enough for his son’s favorite NBA team to become the Lakers.
“He was very excited,” Moore said of his son’s reaction to the Lakers’ stunning trade this week for Doncic. Funny enough, Moore said he hasn’t spent much time in New Orleans. He’s had a few stops here and there in the NFL over the years. And in college, he spent time in Louisiana as a mentor for the Manning Passing Academy That’s really it. But if the Eagles win on Sunday, New Orleans could be home to the greatest professional achievement of Moore’s life. Then, if everything goes right with the Saints, it could also become literally home for
and his
too.
CAESARS SUPERDOME NEW ORLEANS KANSAS CITy CHIEFS (15-2) VS. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (14-3)
Moore
family,
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JAE C. JONG
Former Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore points to his players during training camp May 31, 2023, in Costa Mesa, Calif
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ED ZURGA Saints quarterback Jake Haener is hit by Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Felix AnudikeUzomah on Oct. 7 in Kansas City, Mo.The Chiefs won 26-13.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed isn’t able to come down with the ball as Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Quinyon Mitchell defends Sept. 22 in the Caesars Superdome.The Eagles won 15-12.
You need ‘a lot of luck’
BY SCHUYLER DIXON AP pro football writer
Terry Bradshaw always wondered what might have been if his Pittsburgh Steelers had reached the Super Bowl either of the times they had a chance to win three in a row Ronnie Lott has long lamented just one bounce of the oblong ball that he said could have helped send the San Francisco 49ers to the big game when they were in just about perfect position for a three-peat.
Kansas City is the first team to reach the Super Bowl after winning the previous two, which means Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have done what Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman and Bradshaw couldn’t before them.
Now they’ll try to finish the job Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans
“You got to have a lot of luck,” Lott said. “You got to find moments where you want the ball to bounce your way And then the other thing is, you’ve just got to get over the idea that nobody thinks you can do it.” There is one asterisk. Bart Starr led Green Bay to the 1965 NFL championship and the first two Super Bowl titles. Plus, John Elway retired after winning consecutive Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos.
Bradshaw and those Steel Curtain teams lost to the Oakland Raiders, coached by the late Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden, in the AFC championship game during Pittsburgh’s first run as the two-time reigning champ.
The Steelers didn’t even make the playoffs the second time around, which was four years later
“Had we gotten to the Super Bowl, then I would say the chances of a three-peat would have been very good because you are a defending champion and you’ve experienced a Super Bowl and winning a Super Bowl,” Bradshaw said.
“It’s that long, drawn-out football season where you’re just waiting to get to the playoffs. And it’s a difficult task.”
Roger Craig’s late fumble is what most remember when the 49ers lost at home to the Giants 15-13 on New York’s field goal on the final play of the NFC championship game during the 1990 season.
Lott, however, recalls in vivid detail 34 years later an earlier play when the Hall of Fame safety says Jeff Hostetler lost control of the ball in the backfield with him blitzing, but the ball bounced the Giants quarterback’s way instead of his.
A second consecutive 14-2 season with Montana, Jerry Rice and John Taylor amounted to nothing in the minds of the Niners. Besides the luck of the bounce, Lott was quick to bring up the health of the players — as was Montana.
“The seasons are long. The offseasons are short,” Montana said. “Usually you’re not at 100% strength, your body doesn’t have its usual time to prepare itself during the offseason. When you compound that over the years it makes it even worse.”
Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith and receiver Michael Irvin also got the Cowboys back to an NFC title game as two-time champs, but the Hall of Fame trio lost at San Francisco during the 1994 season, when Steve Young had taken over for Montana at QB.
Daryl Johnston, the fullback when Dallas became the first to win three Super Bowls in a span of four seasons, believes the Cowboys had an asterisk of their own.
After beating Buffalo for the title in consecutive years, owner Jerry Jones and coach Jimmy Johnson had their infamous and acrimonious split. Barry Switzer coached the team that fell short of a threepeat.
In the 38-28 loss to the Niners, the Cowboys turned over the ball the first three times they had it and
trailed 21-0 halfway through the first quarter
“So, you lose your head coach,” Johnston said. “Where would Kansas City be if they lost Andy Reid? And then to play the worst six minutes of football you’ve ever played as a group to start that game, it was just so unexpected.”
Coach Vince Lombardi left the Packers after winning the first two Super Bowls, and Green Bay didn’t make the playoffs the year Joe Namath led the New York Jets to their famous upset of Baltimore in Super Bowl 3.
The first of Miami’s consecutive titles is still the only undefeated season of the Super Bowl era, the 17-0 run during the 1972 season. The Dolphins lost their playoff opener when they were two-time champs.
The New England Patriots fell two victories short of a three-peat in 2005, the only chance they had to do that while winning six championships with Brady and coach Bill Belichick.
Mahomes is well aware of the history as the Chiefs try to to shrug off talk of a three-peat. A victory Sunday over Philadelphia would be the 29-year-old’s fourth Super Bowl title. Brady was 37 when he won the fourth of his record seven.
“I think you always want to leave a legacy and kind of make your imprint on history, but more than anything, you just want to accomplish a goal that you have with your teammates,” Mahomes said “We know that’s a hard process We know it’s hard week-in and weekout. But I’m proud of how our guys have kind of went about that process.”
Bradshaw still talks about how hard trying to three-peat was on him. As part of the Fox television crew covering the Super Bowl, the Hall of Famer will share the stage with the winning team, which could mean handing the Lombardi Trophy to Mahomes.
DB Allen among four voted into Pro Hall of Fame
BY JOSH DUBOW AP pro football writer
Antonio Gates, Jared Allen, Eric Allen and Sterling Sharpe were voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the smallest induction class in 20 years following offseason rule changes meant to make it harder to get inducted.
Sharpe got in as a seniors candidate in voting announced Thursday night at the NFL Honors and will join younger brother Shannon as the first siblings ever inducted into the Hall. Two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning fell short and won’t join older brother Peyton in Canton, Ohio, this year Shannon delivered the news directly to Sterling, and they will be together forever at the Hall after the induction ceremony on Aug. 2.
“I don’t think that has really set in yet,” Sterling Sharpe said. “It’s one of those situations where the closer it gets to having the same color jacket he has and standing in same place he stood and being able to have a conv about the journey to get there I think it will set in. But right now it hasn’t hit home yet.”
Eric Allen starred for 14 seasons as a top cornerback in the NFL and never had to move to safety as he aged. Allen’s career spanned from the “Fog Bowl” game in 1988 when he starred for Philadelphia as a rookie to the “Tuck Rule” game in the 2001 season for Oakland in his final game. He played for the Saints from 1995-97.
Allen finished with 54 interceptions, including eight returned for touchdowns. He was a firstteam All-Pro in 1989 and had two other seasons as a second-team selection. He got in on his 19th year of eligibility
“Rarely does life play out like you want it to,” Eric Allen said “There’s always some curves and bends. But time always reveals the truth. It took maybe time for people to see the complexity of my situation.”
While the small class is a change from past years when at least seven people got inducted in each of the previous 12 classes, it isn’t unprecedented.
There were only four inductees in the 2005 class and there were 18 other years with three or four inductees since the first class of 17 was enshrined in 1963.
“You almost appreciate it more,” Jared Allen said. “Nothing comes easy When I found out it was only four, it became more special. There’s a true emphasis on what it means to be a Hall of Famer Clearly we fit that. For me, it was kind of a sigh of relief.”
New rules were instituted this year after a push by Hall of Famers to make the Hall more exclusive, and that led directly to the smaller class. The modern era candidates were voted from 15 down to seven in the final stage, instead of five in past years.
egories were then all placed in a group with voters picking three. Candidates also needed 80% support with the top finisher automatically getting in even if he fell short.
Hall of Fame spokesman Rich Desrosiers said no decision was made on whether to keep this system in place for 2026 but said one year might be too soon to draw any conclusions.
Gates got elected in his second year of eligibility He played only basketball in college before turning into one of the NFL’s top tight ends after being drafted by the Chargers.
“The opportunity I got speaks volumes of how (the Chargers) believed in me,” Gates said. “I’m happy it all paid off.” He became an All-Pro in just his second season in 2004. He was an All-Pro again the next two seasons and went on to have a 16year career with the Chargers. Gates finished with 955 catches for 11,841 yards and an NFL record for tight ends with 116 touchdown receptions He ranks seventh all-time in TD catches.
Sharpe had a short but productive career for the Green Bay Packers from 1988-94 His best season came in 1992, when he became the sixth player to win the receiving triple crown, setting an NFL record with 108 catches for 1,461 yards and 13 touchdowns. He broke his own record with 112 catches in 1993 and led the NFL with 18 touchdown receptions in his final season, 1994, before a neck injury cut his career short.
Sharpe was a three-time AllPro and had 595 catches for 8,134 yards and 65 TDs. He trailed only Jerry Rice over his sevenyear career in receptions and TD catches.
The Sharpe brothers will join three father-son tandems in the Hall: Tim and Wellington Mara; Art Rooney Sr and Dan Rooney; and Ed and Steve Sabol.
BY DAVE SKRETTA AP sportswiter
amount of pressures and cover-zeros and
for another shot at being a head coach
“He’s incredible,” Reid said ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles “My first year here, like, the
The 49 voters then got to vote for five of the seven with anyone reaching 80% or finishing in the top three getting into the Hall. In past years, the five finalists all got an up-or-down vote with all five getting in for the past 17 years. The candidates from the seniors, coach and contributor cat-
The four other modern-era candidates who reached the final stage but fell short were Willie Anderson, Torry Holt, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri. Those four automatically advance to the final 15 for next year’s voting. The other eight finalists who got cut earlier were Manning, Jahri Evans, Steve Smith Sr., Terrell Suggs, Fred Taylor, Reggie Wayne, Darren Woodson and Marshal Yanda.
The seniors candidates who fell short were Maxie Baughan and Jim Tyrer, with Mike Holmgren falling short as the coach and Ralph Hay as the contributor
CAESARS SUPERDOME • NEW ORLEANS KANSAS CITy CHIEFS (15-2) VS. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (14-3)
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By HARRy CABLUCK
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw sits on the bench as the rest of his team watches the closing minutes of Super Bowl XIII in Miami on Jan, 21, 1979.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID J PHILLIP Former Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Jared Allen, right, hugs former San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates as they are introduced into the Pro Hall of Fame Class of 2025 on Thursday in New Orleans.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
Former Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Eric Allen, who played for the Saints from 1995-97, was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Thursday night.
LeBron becomes oldest player to score 40
BY GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter
LOS ANGELES Age is more than
just a number to LeBron James.
It’s also a target. The 40-year-old James became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game Thursday night, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120112 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.”
Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38 days removed from his 40th birthday last Dec. 30 and it seems highly unlikely this will be the last time he hits the mark, since the top scorer in NBA history is still playing phenomenal basketball deep in his record-tying 22nd NBA season. This feat is a remarkable bookend for James as well: He also is the youngest player in NBA history to score 40 points in a game.
James first hit the mark 88 days after his 19th birthday on March 27, 2004, scoring 41 as a rookie for the Cleveland Cavaliers against
the New Jersey Nets.
“Throughout my journey, anytime I’ve been named or put in a category of whatever the case,
to cross paths with the greats is always humbling,” James said.
“Just to know where I come from and I love the game so much, so it’s pretty cool.”
James also grabbed a seasonhigh 17 rebounds and added eight assists while carrying the Lakers down the stretch against the Warriors and 36-year-old Stephen Curry, who put up 37 points in defeat.
“We’ve run out of words and superlatives and descriptions to capture what he’s doing at this stage of his career and at this age,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “It continues to be remarkable. It really does, and he really led us tonight. AR having an off shooting night, and we needed all of that offense from LeBron.”
James is still making NBA history while he waits to begin his new partnership with Luka Doncic, who watched his new teammate’s domination from the bench for the second straight game since arriving in a trade with Dallas. Doncic is likely to make his Lakers debut on Monday night at home against Utah.
“I can’t wait, because everything I do on the floor, he has the ability to do it or do it even better,” James said. “That’s how great he is. Even at his young age, 25, he’s such a unique player He’s a special play-
SCOREBOARD
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Brown
Blocked Shots: 4 (Slaughter 2, Ngalakulondi 1, Kroenke 1) Turnovers: 16 (Randle 4, Ngalakulondi 3, Kroenke 3, Judd 2, Slaughter 2, Team 2) Steals: 6 (Ngalakulondi 2, Judd 1, Kroenke 1, Randle 1, Brown 1) Technical Fouls: None LSU1120202071 Missouri15121221—60 A_3,943 Officials_Denise Brooks, Brian Hall, Tim Daley Golf Founders Cup Friday At Bradenton Country Club Bradenton, Fla. Purse: $2 million Yardage: 6,465; Par: 71 Second Round Jin Young Ko 67-63—130 12
-10
er, a generational talent, so I’m super-appreciative to be able to share the floor with him and then watch him do his thing.”
James was outstanding all night against the Warriors. He scored 18 points in the second quarter in a spree highlighted by three 3-pointers in 38 seconds — the third from the Lakers’ logo at midcourt. He basked in a standing ovation from the Lakers crowd while teammate Rui Hachimura placed an imaginary crown on his head.
James then stepped up down the stretch when the Lakers’ 26-point lead dwindled to five in the fourth quarter Golden State trailed by only six when James drained his sixth 3-pointer of the night with 1:08 to play, and he followed it with a half-court assist to Hachimura for a dunk that essentially sealed the win with 49 seconds left.
James didn’t quite manage a triple-double against the Warriors, falling just short for the second straight game. He is the secondoldest player in NBA history to record a triple-double, and he’s still about 90 days too young to break the record set by Karl Malone in 2003.
James has 10 triple-doubles this season, each one making him the second-oldest player to accomplish the feat.
Evangelist keeping watch over ministry
When she was 16 years old, a babysitting assignment helped launch Baton Rouge evangelist Bianca Chandler into a ministry of teaching and serving Chandler, 32, was a high school sophomore when she was asked to care for the youth Sunday school class at her church until a permanent teacher could be appointed She embraced the opportunity to do more.
“They asked me to babysit, and I began teaching,” she said. “The kids I was teaching at that time may have been 5, 6 or 7 years old. I just started teaching them the fundamentals of faith, like understanding salvation. I didn’t do the expected stories.”
Chandler grew into her teaching/mentorship role and witnessed many of the kids grow in the word and get saved. Chandler served in that capacity for nine impactful years.
“Now many of those kids are college age,” she said. “They are still active in the church and very strong advocates within the external communities of faith. Their roots are real, and I love to see it.”
Chandler remains deeply engaged at Grove First Missionary Baptist Church in Baker, where her father, the Rev Kenneth W. Chandler, serves as senior pastor However her involvement at Shady Grove is just a portion of her broader ministry and community efforts.
Carving her own path, Chandler is quite busy helping people improve their lives and the world as a national speaker, workshop/retreat facilitator, event curator, Vacation Bible School teacher, online Bible study teacher, instructor for the Fourth District Missionary Baptist Association, purpose coach, businesswoman and author Her books include “70 Days, 70 Ways: He Speaks to Me” (2020) and “It’s Simple Not Easy: Purpose Has a Process” (2021).
“Naturally, it seems like every few years, God allows for some new opportunity to develop,” said Chandler, who holds a degree in social work from Southeastern Louisiana University
She earned a master’s in theology from St. John Bible Institute, where she is also on track to receive her doctorate in theology in June.
A couple of her closest friends and a cousin have chosen to follow Chandler’s example and attend seminary “I believe in discipleship I believe in teaching by
ä See MATTERS, page 8C
BY SERENA PUANG Staff writer
‘Constantlylearning is good for your soul.’
Courtesy of the Chiefs, Louisiana’s 2025 Teacher of the Year is going to
BY JAN RISHER Staff writer
FEB. 9
NEW ORLEANS
Ask anyone at Rayne High School who’s going to the Super Bowl. Chances are, the first answer won’t be the Kansas City Chiefs or the Philadelphia Eagles. Nope, these days at Rayne High, the answer is, “Ms. Boutin.” Elise Boutin, the 14year veteran Acadia Parish high school senior English and publications teacher is Louisiana’s 2025 Teacher of the Year Boutin is also the school’s cross-country coach. On Jan. 29, she, along with the rest of her school, learned she was the recipient of two tickets to the Super Bowl on a virtual call with former Saints player Chris Reis.
“I was stunned — much less to come from someone like Chris Reis,” Boutin said “I wanted to say, ‘I know exactly where I was sitting when I watched you pick up that onside kick when the Saints won the Super Bowl.’” Boutin, 42, is the single mother of four young sons, ages 13, 12, 10
the Super Bowl
and 9. She decided not to play favorites and invited her boyfriend to go with her
“I couldn’t choose out of my sons. I felt like that would be wrong,” she said. “I’m bringing my boyfriend. I guess that makes me ‘Girlfriend of the Year.’” The tickets are courtesy of the Kansas City Chiefs, which recognize a female educator as the recipient of the Norma Hunt Super Bowl
BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer
ä See TEACHER, page 8C
before, and the wings are those who are here and will fly out into the world,” Randell Henry said. Henry, a professor in Southern University’s Visual Arts Program, has two pieces in the show, which runs through March 6 in the university’s Visual Arts Gallery in Hayden Hall. The “roots” part of the show points to works by the school’s art alumni, while the “wings” are represented by the program’s current students. The result is an interesting complement of the two groups’ Past and present come together
Elise Boutin is a senior English and publications teacher at Rayne High School. Pictured here from left are Baylee Stallings, Lexic Lacoq, Boutin and Ellah Barousse.
PROVIDED PHOTOS
Elise Boutin, Louisiana’s 2025 Teacher of the year, is a senior English and publications teacher at Rayne High School She is also the mother of four sons. Pictured here are Dax Boutin, Charles Boutin, Elise Boutin, Jase Boutin and Rhett Boutin.
STAFF PHOTO By ROBIN MILLER Lloyd Wade’s acrylic, mixed media on canvas,‘The G.O.A.T.,’ is featured in the Southern University Visual Arts Gallery’s exhibit,‘Roots & Wings.’
By The Associated Press
Today is Saturday, Feb. 8, the 39th day of 2025. There are 326 days left in the year
Today in history
On Feb. 8, 1968, three Black students were killed and 28 wounded as state troopers opened fire on student demonstrators on the campus of South Carolina State College in Orangeburg in the wake of protests over a Whites-only bowling alley The event would become known as the Orangeburg Massacre.
On this date: In 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in England after she was implicated in a plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I In 1693, a charter was granted for the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg in the Virginia Colony In 1904, Japan launched a surprise attack on the Russian Navy at Port Arthur (now Dalian, China), marking the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War. In 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was incorporated by William D. Boyce.
NEW YEAR
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Louisiana traditions together In March, they host a crawfish boil.
“Our goal is to promote the community friendship culture exchange and development,” said Yang Mu, current president of the association.
The event was organized by Esther Yao, who has been involved in the organization since she moved to Baton Rouge in 1997. She brought three dishes to the event.
“Probably people know the name, but (it) probably tastes a little different, because I improved,” Yao said with a laugh before the event.
One of the dishes she brought, fuqi feipian, which translates roughly to “husband and wife lung pieces,” is delicious and not nearly as scary as it sounds. Despite the name, lung is very rarely used. Yao makes her version from beef tendon that she buys from an Asian market. There are numerous distinct cuisines in China, many of which cannot typically be found served at the same table or in Baton Rouge restaurants. But for one night, they were enjoyed all together, united by the experience of people who made them, being part of the Chinese diaspora in Baton Rouge. Yao’s dish is local to Sichuan province, which is not the part of China that she is from, but she learned to make it online and experimented with different versions of the recipe before settling on the version she made for the party Lin He, an associate professor of violin at LSU, has been a member of the association for many years Originally from Shanghai, he studied in Pennsylvania before moving to Baton Rouge in 2007 to teach at LSU. He made Shanghaistyle spring rolls for the party, the way his parents taught him
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example, and I believe in being authentic,” she said. Among her wide range of teaching ministry opportunities are Rooted and Letting Every Go Faith for youth and Focusing Ahead for women. Founded in 2019, the organization Focusing Ahead helps equip women with everyday tools to “thrive spiritually, physically and mentally to focus on all that is ahead.” Since its inception, Focusing Ahead has hosted events in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Dallas, Chicago and San Antonio. This year’s Focusing Ahead returns to Baton Rouge in November
“I create safe spaces for people to experience community and then introduce that community to the love of God, to the sacrifice of God, and to the love and forgiveness of God being personified,” she said. “I am able to help them heal and move forward. It’s literally everything focusing ahead. That’s what matters to me.” Chandler credits her parents dad and mother Amy with instilling in her a deep passion for people and that commitment to community
“I got to see community in action at an early age,” said Chandler, who was an only child.
In 1915, D.W Griffith’s controversial epic film “The Birth of a Nation” premiered in Los Angeles.
In 1924, the first execution by gas in the United States took place at the Nevada State Prison in Carson City as Gee Jon, a Chinese immigrant convicted of murder, was put to death
In 1960, work began on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located on Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Los Angeles.
In 1971, NASDAQ, the world’s first electronic stock exchange, held its first trading day Today’s birthdays: Composerconductor John Williams is 93. Broadcast journalist Ted Koppel is 85. Actor Nick Nolte is 84. Comedian Robert Klein is 83. Actor-rock musician Creed Bratton is 82. Actor Mary Steenburgen is 72. Author John Grisham is 70. Hockey Hall of Famer Dino Ciccarelli is 65. Rock singer Vince Neil (Mötley Crüe) is 64. Basketball Hall of Famer Alonzo Mourning is 55. Actor Seth Green is 51. Actor William Jackson Harper is 45. Actor-comedian Cecily Strong is 41. Hip-hop artist Anderson .Paak is 39.
as a kid
“It’s actually really simple. The inside is sliced pork, napa cabbage, and today, I put in some mushrooms,” he explained in Mandarin. “It’s a nostalgic dish from my hometown that represents the best of its culture.”
He and his wife have been a part of the association since shortly after they moved to Baton Rouge.
“In this foreign land, we are a minority,” he said. “Of course, I’d want to congregate with people who speak my language, who are of my people, who can talk to me about the culture and represent the best parts of it.”
His wife, Maggie Yuan, who is from Taiyuan, also made a Shanghai-style dish called sixikaofu which is known in English as gluten salad. It’s a cold dish made of mostly mushrooms and roasted gluten
“I like it, although it’s not really (from) my hometown,” she said of the dish.
Yuan said she and many others at the event moved away from their hometowns years ago, so their traditions and recipes have been “mixed up” — it’s not solely what people grew up doing. This is part of the way that people adapt and change when adjusting to a new place, after getting married or being exposed to different kinds of cuisine.
In February, The Chinese Friendship Association will partner with LSU’s Chinese Students and Scholars Association to host performances, activities and a cultural show to continue to celebrate Lunar New Year The event starts at 3:30 p.m. on Feb. 22 outside in front of the Student Union before moving to the ballroom inside the building. There are no tickets, but preregistration is required For more information, visit instagram.com/lsucssa.
Email Serena Puang at serena. puang@theadvocate.com.
“Watching my parents in ministry, it brought up the importance of doing for others and showing up and being present for people. I talk about community a lot because I believe it’s the thing that fosters relationships.”
A precocious child, Chandler’s passion for speaking and people was evident years before she started teaching Sunday school.
“Even though I was interested in professional speaking at an early age, I had no intention of preaching and did not see this coming,” she said Around the age of 17, Chandler began to consider a calling to ministry It was in 2016 that she initiated meaningful conversations with her father about the path to becoming a licensed minister In 2020, her father finally granted Chandler’s request as a licensed and called minister
“He realized I wasn’t losing steam for nothing,” she said.
Chandler said her calling is about making connections with anybody God places in her path.
“For me even though I teach what I’m called to is people,” she said. “My call from God has always been the concern of people and making sure they’re well and reached and seen and validated and loved and understood.”
For more information on Chandler, visit biancachandler.com.
Contact Terry Robinson at terryrobinson622@gmail.com.
EXHIBIT
Continued from page 7C
perspectives of life, beliefs and the world itself.
A mentorship theme
“I feel like, generally, the whole theme of this exhibition is about mentorship,” said Samantha Combs, gallery director and adjunct instructor in the arts program. “We have an art minor at Southern, but we don’t have an art major anymore. We lost it 10 years ago, so it’s been sleeping for a few years.”
But the status of “minor” hasn’t stopped the Visual Arts Program from growing.
“Shows like this are like a spark starting to light our current students, and I thought it would be a good idea to pair the alumni and student work,” Combs said. “You get a fusion, and it opens the door for students to meet alumni, make connections and inspire mentorships.”
Combs is happy with the mix of subjects and themes within the artwork.
“We have a good range of things,” she said. “We have a lot of figures, and we have a lot of women in the artwork, and I was really happy to see that.”
Both alumni and students were asked to submit up to five works each. Combs served as curator, liberally choosing a variety of works so she could “stack the walls.”
“I wanted to hang them in the gallery salon-style,” she said.
The salon-style art method originated at the Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture in 1670s Paris. Paintings can be displayed in stacked arrangements from the
TEACHER
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Champion of Education Award.
Norma Hunt was the only woman to attend every Super Bowl from Super Bowl I to the Chiefs’ victory in Super Bowl LVII in 2023. Hunt died in June 2023, and the Chiefs announced the creation of the Norma Hunt Super Bowl Champion of Education program to honor Hunt’s passion for education, her lifelong love of football and her renowned Super Bowl attendance streak.
“Everybody was absolutely thrilled for her,” said Connie Credeur, the high school bookkeeper “We’re all going to be watching for her on the big screen.”
Meanwhile, Boutin says she’s trying to get used to all of the attention.
She had not known the Teacher of the Year honor would come with a long-standing spotlight. This year, she sits on the BESE Board. She’s going to the Super Bowl this weekend. In two weeks, she leaves for a conference in California with all the other Teachers of the Year from other states.
“For so long, I was in my classroom with my students, coaching and with my sons. It’s a year of opportunity,” she said. “When I was named Teacher of the Year, they told me, ‘Your life just changed.’ Barely over a month in, I believe it.”
Boutin says she is doing her best to take it all in and determine what aspect of education she wants to be her focus. She feels a responsibility to her school, her students, her community, her state and her predecessors, including Kylie Altier the 2024 Louisiana Teacher of the Year, whose focus on literacy is making a significant impact. Boutin is listening and learning to determine a focus and platform. Her interests are broad, as indicat-
‘ROOTS & WINGS’
Southern University Visual Arts Program exhibit featuring work by Southern art alumni and students l Through March 6 in the school’s Visual Arts Gallery in Hayden Hall on campus l Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and by appointment l Admission is free. For more information or to make an appointment, call Randell Henry at (225) 771-4109 or email samantha. combs@sus.edu.
floor to the ceiling.
Reaching for the same dream
Now, all of the paintings in Southern’s show are at eye level, but many are arranged in stacked groupings. Lloyd Wade’s Muhammad Ali-themed “The G.O.A.T.” perfectly meshes with the blooming human heart in Meckenzie Smith’s yarn-dominated, mixed media piece “Blooming Heartstrings.”
One rings more masculine, the other more feminine. Yet both are reaching for the same dream.
The show also features work by some deceased art alumni and artists who may not have attended Southern but have direct connection to the school. The biggest name in this group is Frank Hayden, for whom the art gallery’s building is named.
Hayden’s ‘Unity’ Hayden taught for 27 years at Southern, joining the art faculty in 1962 and working until his death in 1985.
“He didn’t go to school at Southern, but he taught here,” Henry said. If anyone is an example of what this art show represents, it’s Hen-
ed by the varied hats she wears at Rayne High from English teacher to cross-country coach to media teacher and adviser for “Rayne, Alive!,” a student-produced news program.
“Kylie motivates me,” Boutin said. “This is an opportunity to learn, especially coming from a rural area. I’m just going to be exposed to a lot of things that will help us grow here. I’m trying to listen and see where my best effort can go to make an impact on our area and possibly even the state.”
Boutin is also taking one graduate class this semester
“I don’t know how I’m going to do all of this, but I’m a lifelong learner,” she said. “Constantly learning is good for your soul. I share that with my students constantly I don’t ever want to feel like I’ve peaked in my life.”
Boutin took time to answer a few questions about being named Louisiana’s Teacher of the Year and Norma Hunt Super Bowl Champion of Education.
What do you believe has been at the crux of your success as an educator?
That’s an interesting question. Personally, I’m a passionate and curious person. I believe even my trying to learn Spanish on Duolingo is an example to my students.
I’m constantly trying to show them that there are so many things in life that they can be exposed to — that keeps them interested, which has helped me connect with them. Also, I’m open to what they’re interested in, like movies or particular books. If they make a recommendation to me, I’ll watch it or read it, and we’ll talk about it. Those things matter How are you incorporating mentorship into your curriculum?
I’ve developed what I call “the senior project fair” these past few years, which has helped take things to the next level. Students are able to go shadow in a field they’re interested in.
ry, who not only was a student in Hayden’s classes but was inspired and mentored by the professor Hayden’s public sculptures can be found throughout the nation, many in Baton Rouge. Similarly, Henry’s collage paintings have been featured in galleries nationwide.
When Henry stands in the center of the Visual Arts Gallery, contemplating works in the show, he sees talent and potential in each.
Then he stops to take in Hayden’s wooden sculpture, “Unity,” where one pair of hands reach toward another Perhaps this sculpture summarizes the show even better than its title.
Hayden’s hands reach out and help the other, encouraging alumni and student artists to do the same.
Email Robin Miller at romiller@ theadvocate.com.
I was thinking, “They go through 12 years of school, and they don’t get to choose what they study.” I created a unit so that they get to decide what they want to learn about. It works for both collegebound and career-bound students in helping to learn about what they want to do in adulthood.
For some college-bound students, they realize what they thought they wanted to do isn’t really for them — and the project sometimes saves them a couple of semesters of studying something they don’t want to end up doing. When are you headed to New Orleans for the game?
We’re going Sunday
I don’t like overly crowded places. I’m going to go to the Super Bowl, but I’m OK with just getting there Sunday afternoon and taking it in from there.
Any celebrities you’re excited about seeing?
I’m a Swiftie. She is a phenomenal artist. You’ve got to commend her If I get to see her I think my boyfriend would like to see Bradley Cooper He was worried about wearing red for the Chiefs and seeing him as an Eagles fan. Do you know what you’ll wear to the Super Bowl?
I like shiny I have a gold shiny skirt and a red shirt. I have to play homage to the Chiefs since I get to go in Norma Hunt’s place, but if they were playing the Saints I’m sorry, I would have to wear black and gold. And your students? How have they responded to this latest excitement? They’re pumped. They are hoping to see me on television. I wonder, “Do I need to make a sign that says, ‘Hey, students! I’m here.’” When we finish (this conversation), I’m going to go ask the arts teacher if she has someone who could help me make a classy sign. Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTOS By ROBIN MILLER
Frank Hayden’s wooden sculpture ‘Unity’ sets the theme for the Southern University Visual Arts Gallery’s exhibit ‘Roots & Wings.
Craig Ambeau’s color pencil and marker piece ‘Greatness in My DNA’ is featured in the Southern University Visual Art Gallery’s exhibit ‘Roots & Wings.’
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) When one door closes, another opens. Refrain from laboring over what's ending when embracing new beginnings will optimize your chance to advance. Talk less and do more.
PIsCEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Stick close to home. Venturing out will lead to tempting offers. Choose to concentrate on health, diet and exercise, not on indulgent behavior. Refuse to let an emotional situation take control.
ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Go over every detail and change whatever is necessary. Take care of matters personally and be secretive regarding your choices. Emotional spending will set you back.
tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Concentrate on what matters most to you and clear a path forward. Getting personal papers in order will ease your mind. It's up to you to create opportunities.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Approach every issue openly and honestly. Decisiveness will help you gain trust, and proof that you know what you are doing and saying is accurate will seal the deal. Put your emotions on the shelf and do your best.
CAnCER (June 21-July 22) Think before you act. Emotions will surface quickly and require restraint if you want to avoid trouble. Avoid hasty decisions and unnecessary changes. Pay attention to your health and emotional well-being.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Pay attention to detail; research, learn and be creative with the information you gather. Attend
a reunion or function that will bring back memories or prompt you to revisit a pastime that brings you joy.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Experience is golden. A change will spark your imagination and encourage you. Heading to a destination you've never been to and participatinginsomethingthatintrigues you will encourage new friendships.
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Refuse to let someone's angst or emotional madness affect your plans. Look at the big picture; consider how others react and socialize with those who share your sentiments.
sCoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Let your creativity take over your life. Get together with people who spark your imagination and encourage you to pursue your dreams. Travel and physical endeavors will help put things in perspective.
sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Stick to what and who you know and trust. Refuse to fold under pressure just to keep the peace. Find common ground and incentives to ensure that equality prevails.
CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Emotional manipulation is apparent. Look for solutions instead of getting bogged down in what-ifs. Refuse to jeopardize your health or risk damaging a meaningful relationship.
The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by NEA, Inc dist. By Andrews 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: G EQuALs W
CeLebrItY CIpher
For better or For WorSe
FrAnK And erneSt
SALLY Forth
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM SherMAn’S LAGoon
bIG 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
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge
Hunter S. Thompson, a journalist and author who died in 2005, said, “When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”
If it looks weird, talks weird and smells weird it must be weird especially if produced by a pro.
In other words, if a competent player does something weird, it is (almost certainly) not because he has lost his marbles, but because he is hoping to sneak a trick past an unsuspecting opponent.
In today’s deal, South is in three notrump Eastisinthespotlight.Westleads a fourth-highest club six. What should East be thinking?
First, though, let’s look at declarer’s problem. He has only eight top tricks: five spades, two diamonds and one club. And with clubs wide open, he must hope that East has the heart ace and is sleeping soundly. South should win the first trick and call for the heart jack, trying to look like a man about to take a finesse.
What should East conclude now?
Initially, East should have asked himself this question: What is declarer likely to do at trick two? Here, if South doesn’t have the spade ace, he will surely establish that suit. So, when South doesn’t do that, it is because he has the spade ace. Ergo, the suit is ready to run and declarer has eight top tricks: five spades, two
Each
diamonds and one club. Why is he calling for the heart jack?
South must be trying to sneak his ninth trick.
East mustn’t fall for it: He should jump in with the heart ace and play clubs. If East ducks, South, in desperation, will put up his king and, when it wins, claim. © 2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication
Previous answers:
word
InstRuCtIons:
toDAy’s WoRD tEMPuRA: TEM-por-uh: Seafood or vegetables dipped in batter and fried.
Average
yEstERDAy’s WoRD — PAnGoLIn
today’s thought
“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
loCKhorNs
marmaduKe
Bizarro
hagar the horriBle
Pearls Before swiNe
garfield
B.C.
PiCKles
