Louisiana

May all your verbs ring true in 2024: Long Story Short by Jan Risher

Published

2 years ago

January 7, 2024

Press Room

May all your verbs ring true in 2024: Long Story Short by Jan Risher

I love a clean slate — and a new year feels so full of potential.

I also enjoy little rituals that serve to make life more enjoyable.

For the past six years at the start of the new year, I’ve offered what I call a once-a-year verb service for friends and acquaintances, which is how I came to spend about six hours one evening last week listening to Mozart and assigning verbs as fast as my fingers could do the job.

Basically, via social media, if friends ask for a verb, I provide one. This year, I upped my game and started building my word list a month before the doling out of verbs began. My verb assignage method has evolved through the years. These days, assigning a particular verb to a person is part random and part prayer. I look for verbs that could be interpreted in multiple ways or suggest different meanings or connotations.

Sometimes all of us just need a cue to serve as a placeholder that reminds us that it’s possible to have a different perspective.

For some, the verb is a short-lived piece of fun. For others, they use the word to center themselves. It’s funny that a word like “untangle” or “lallygag” can do that, but some friends say it helps.

When it comes to assigning verbs, business is picking up. In the first 24 hours of my social media post announcing The Great Verbage of 2024, I assigned 307 verbs — and counting. And yes, if you’d like a verb, feel free to email me at jan.risher@theadvocate.com, and I’ll do my best to send one your way.

My new year’s commemorations don’t end there. For several years, I’ve also hosted a women’s vision board potluck brunch on the first Saturday of the new year. Chances are, by the time you read this, I’ll have hosted the one for 2024.

It’s a simple event. The women bring their dishes to share, their open hearts, their old magazines and scissors — and we sit around snipping images, words and letters from the glossy pages. I provide Champagne to toast the old year and the one to unfold. I also provide other practical things, including plates, poster board, glue sticks and a place to spread out.

Busy hands make for the absolute best conversation, in my experience. I love sitting with a group of women with the most important focus being cutting images and pasting them to a poster board. It’s a lovely party that doesn’t have to happen at the very beginning of the year. I believe that so many people are looking for opportunities to have similar experiences.

If you are thinking, “I could do that,” consider your word for 2024 to be “nudge,” and go for it.

(If you need a few more details: I don’t ask or care what people bring to share. If we have 14 king cakes, we’ll eat king cake, but that has never happened. People end up bringing a variety of food, and the spread is enjoyable. I start my vision board brunch at 11 a.m. We spend the first hour eating and lallygagging. At noon, we toast the preceding year, standing in a circle and saying a short sentence about the year that has just passed. Then, we get to work on the vision boards. Around 1:30 p.m., we toast the year ahead and repeat the circle experience.)

I go into the details of the event to bring home the point that events in your home can be lovely and meaningful without being stressful to host.

The products we create are helpful to some and fun for others. Regardless, I hope and pray that 2024 is a year of beauty and grace for you and yours. May all your verbs ring true.

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Louisiana

Cuban families in Louisiana celebrate Christmas with traditional lechon feast

Published

1 hour ago

December 24, 2025

Press Room

Cuban families in Louisiana celebrate Christmas with traditional lechon feast

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – For many Cuban families in Louisiana, Christmas means gathering for a traditional lechon, a pig roast that serves as the centerpiece of their holiday celebration.

Vivian Nieto, owner of Churro’s Cafe in Metairie, said the Cuban tradition parallels Louisiana’s French Acadian cochon de lait but uses distinct seasonings and preparation methods.

“The Cuban use, basically, is the garlic, the naranja agria, and salt,” Nieto said. “If you don’t add anything else, that would be perfect.”

Traditional mojo marinade starts with citrus and garlic

The marinade, called mojo, always starts with garlic and citrus, specifically bitter orange juice known in Spanish as naranja agria. Nieto adds cumin and oregano to the base mixture.

At her Cuban restaurant, Nieto uses a Boston butt instead of a whole pig and lets it marinate overnight.

“I remember when I was a kid, the night before, they cleaned, they marinated,” Nieto said. “In our family, we exposed our babies early to the big pig that gets seasoned and marinated the night before.”

Pig roasted all day on Christmas Eve

Like the Acadian cochon, the lechon is roasted all day on Christmas Eve. Nieto said the taste testing during preparation bonds families together.

“Not too many people realize how tight is Cuba with New Orleans,” Nieto said. “The food, you respond deeply.”

The pork is served with congri, black beans and rice with onions and garlic, and yuca.

Nieto said she finds deep joy in making food that connects Cuban culture across generations.

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Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for Dec. 23, 2025

Published

13 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Press Room

The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 23, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

15-37-38-41-64, Mega Ball: 21

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

3-1-8

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

4-6-9-2

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

9-0-4-5-0

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.

By mail, follow these instructions:

Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.

Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:

Louisiana Lottery Headquarters

555 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:

555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.

When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Louisiana

What CBD is legal in Louisiana? See state law for 2026

Published

1 day ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

What CBD is legal in Louisiana? See state law for 2026

CBD, also known as cannabidiol, is a non-intoxicating compound from the cannabis or hemp plant that does not cause a “high,” unlike THC, according to the CDC.

CBD was first approved as a drug for the treatment of seizures in children with severe forms of epilepsy, but now, CBD is used for other purposes like pain relief, sleep and general wellness, says Brown University Health.

Despite CBD’s availability and supposed benefits, CBD products are not risk free, as there are possible side effects and risks associated with CBD use, according to Brown University Health.

What is Louisiana’s state law for CBD in 2025? What to know

Under the Agriculture Improvement Act in 2018, hemp was removed from the federal Controlled Substances Act, which effectively legalized CBD if it comes from hemp, according to the CDC.

Despite hemp-derived CBD being legal at the federal level, some states have not removed hemp from their state’s-controlled substances acts, meaning that the legality of CBD products varies across states, says the CDC.

Following the enactment of this legislation, Louisiana passed Act 164 in 2019, effectively legalizing the cultivation and production of industrial hemp in the state, says Louisiana State Cannabis.

The legislation defined hemp as a cannabis plant containing no more than 0.3% THC, therefore, CBD products derived from hemp are legal in Louisiana. However, marijuana-derived CBD remains illegal for recreational use in the state, according to Louisiana State Cannabis.

Although, Louisiana enacted Act 491 in 2015, which allows the use of medical marijuana, as well as marijuana-derived CBD, to treat certain diseases and medical conditions in the state, says Louisiana State Cannabis.

Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at PTyler@Gannett.com

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