7th Annual Franchise Innovation Awards: 2025 Winners Embraced Technology to Boost Their Businesses

This year’s Franchise Update Media Innovation Award winners turned technological innovations and strategies into cost-cutting, time-saving efficiencies and increased customer engagement. Franchise brands—large and small, legacy and...

Will the 2025 Fifolet Halloween parade be last one in Baton Rouge? Organizers concerned.

When the Fifolet Halloween Festival comes to Baton Rouge each year, residents expect a haunted ball, costume donations for the city's children and a parade of spookily-decorated floats streaming through downtown. But organizers fear the 2025...

First oarfish sighting in Sri Lanka highlights citizen science in marine protection

Scientists have documented the first-ever record of an oarfish (Regalecus russellii) in Sri Lanka, a 2.6-meter (8.5-foot) specimen caught off the country’s western coast. The find expands the known distribution of oarfish into the Indian Ocean,...

Workers Brace For AI’s Impact On Louisiana Job Market

You'd think after all those sci-fi movies we grew up with, we'd have seen this coming a mile away. You would think we’d be ready. But you would be dead wrong. This whole Artificial Intelligence, or AI, thing isn't some future fantasy anymore. It's...

LDEQ launches portal for businesses to submit waste tire fees

Louisiana has launched an online portal for businesses that generate waste tires and collect fees for the state to recycle them. Auto dealers, tire shops and others who sell cars or tires can now submit their monthly reports and fee payments...

Patriots coach Mike Vrabel downplays return to Tennessee after 2024 firing

Head coaches who faced a former team with which they previously won Coach of the Year are 9-5 against their old club team over the last 10 seasons, including playoffs, per NFL Research. Those head coaches are 5-1 when on the road against their...

Will Louisiana troops at Barksdale and Fort Polk get paid October 15?

President Trump announced that active duty U.S. military members will be paid on Oct. 15 despite the ongoing government shutdown. The Trump administration identified approximately $8 billion in prior-year funds to cover the military payroll. House...

Guidry's historic investiture ceremony scheduled Sunday in Baton Rouge

Justice John Michael Guidry's historical investiture as only the 4th elected African American Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court in its more than 211 year history, will take place on Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 2:00 P.M., at Living Faith...

East Baton Rouge magnet programs prepare students for college, careers and beyond

Sponsored Content This article is brought to you by the East Baton Rouge Parish School System.The East Baton Rouge Parish School System’s magnet programs continue to stand out as some of the brightest offerings in the district. Serving students...

Utilities, manfacturers, major US automakers lose out on billions in latest DOE cuts

Last week, the U.S. Department of Energy pulled the plug on billions of dollars’ worth of funding designated for advanced manufacturing, grid modernization, community resiliency hubs, academic institutions, and various clean energy and efficiency...

Lost Ancient Roman artifact found in New Orleans: ‘Fascinating’

An artifact was unearthed by a couple in New Orleans, Louisiana as they did a little work in their backyard. This may not sound like a surprise, given how old the city is, until you realize this artifact is from Ancient Rome. Smithsonian Magazine...

Science The Brighter Side of News North American ice sheets drove most of the sea-level rise after the last ice age

When the planet was heating up at the end of the last Ice Age, ice-melt flooded out by glaciers made oceans rise. Scientists for decades believed that most meltwater had originated from Antarctica. Now, with research headed by Tulane University...

Strong Grip Strength May Protect Against Obesity-Related Complications

People with excess body fat who build and keep muscle may be less likely to develop obesity-induced heart, liver, or kidney damage or die early, according to a new study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Despite...

Tickets on sale for CYT Baton Rouge's 'Narnia,' UL Symphony plans Halloween Concert

'Narnia' tickets Tickets are on sale for CYT Baton Rouge's production of the musical, "Narnia," opening Oct. 23, at Abundant Life Church, 206 Edgewood Drive. Tickets are $16-$19. Visit cytbatonrouge.org. Animals in Art The 31st annual...

Baton Rouge doctor among finalists for inaugural Elevitta Mrs. India World pageant

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A Baton Rouge doctor is a finalist in the inaugural Elevitta Mrs. India World pageant, a platform celebrating the strength, grace, and global aspirations of Indian women. The inaugural edition of Elevitta Mrs....

"We Have a Common Enemy—And It's Not Your Immigrant Neighbor"

Rumeysa Ozturk’s seizure by plainclothes and masked agents outside of her home in Somerville, Massachusetts, in March 2025 had all the hallmarks of a kidnapping. The PhD student, originally from Turkey, was flown to a detention facility in...

Poll: New Orleans parents feel more negative about NOLA-PS, support tax to boost teacher pay

New Orleans parents feel increasingly negative about NOLA Public Schools after a tumultuous year that included fallout from a $50 million financial crisis, according to an annual poll of the city’s parents and guardians. About half of parents also...

As US onshore oil growth slows, will improved drilling boost Gulf of Mexico offshore oil production?

Analysts and consultants predict that offshore investment will continue to grow as new technology and more friendly regulations encourage investment. In recent years, the offshore oil and natural gas sector has been overshadowed by shale because...

How Helene changed our love lives — for better and for worse

This coverage is made possible through a partnership between BPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization. Kyle and Ashley Johnson are one of those “opposites attract” kind of couples. She’s a Tennessee mountain girl with a penchant...

Finding Adam's voice: New Orleans mom speaks for her children with rare genetic disease

When Adam started kindergarten, his teacher could tell he was behind. The other kids could color inside the lines. The other kids could identify red objects. Adam could not. "He was my first child," said Adam's mother, Missy Ward. "I had no one to...