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Juvenile justice with focus on therapy questioned

Julie O’Donoghue / Louisiana Illuminator / lailluminator.com
Friday, May 6, 2022
Michele Piazza’s face swelled up with bruises. Her leg was broken in more than one place. She was beaten so severely that a year after the attack on her, she continues to have physical and mental health challenges. Piazza has worked in prisons and secure care facilities for 18 years.

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Fit only for frogs and alligators

Jim Bradshaw
Friday, May 6, 2022
Every year about this time, when the Mississippi begins to fill with snowmelt and rainwater from the north, talk begins again about the possibility of the Atchafalaya grabbing almost all of the water from the big river — with dire consequences on both of the streams.
A hammerhead worm discovered by a Denham Springs homeowner. Photo provided.

A hammerhead worm discovered by a Denham Springs homeowner. Photo provided.

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Hammerhead worms on the rise in Louisiana

Johnny Morgan / jmorgan@agcenter.lsu.edu
Friday, May 6, 2022
An invasive, wriggling creature with a head that resembles a hammer has been showing up lately in some south Louisiana lawns. They’re called hammerhead worms. LSU AgCenter entomologist Nathan Lord said it is believed they were imported from Southeast Asia in the soil of ornamental plants.
Supertunia Vista Bubblegum is an excellent landscape bedding plant that tolerates the heat. (Photo by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

Supertunia Vista Bubblegum is an excellent landscape bedding plant that tolerates the heat. (Photo by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

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Pretty petunias that take the heat

Heather Kirk-Ballard / LSU AgCenter horticulturist
Friday, May 6, 2022
Are you looking for reliable, easy-care color for the landscape this summer? Look for new and improved petunias that tolerate the heat. Petunias of the past couldn’t handle the heat, but newer varieties have improved tolerance.

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TOPS recipients could soon keep family income private

JC Canicosa / Louisiana Illuminator
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
Louisiana might soon remove the requirement that recipients of the state’s popular merit-based TOPS college scholarship provide information on their family income.

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Lawmakers propose study for wind energy pilot project in Gulf

Wesley Muller / Louisiana Illuminator
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
Louisiana lawmakers want state regulators to study the most cost-effective pathways to complete an offshore wind energy pilot project in the Gulf of Mexico within four years.
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Cell phone

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Ban on hand-held driver phones fails

Allison Kadlubar / LSU Manship School News Service
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
Lawmakers on Tuesday narrowly rejected a bill to ban hand-held driver phones after a handful of amendments, debates and product demonstrations. The bill would have allowed law enforcement to ticket anyone caught with a cell phone in hand while driving.
Mushroom compost can add nutrients to soils and potting media. (Photo by Heather Kirk-Ballard LSU AgCenter)

Mushroom compost can add nutrients to soils and potting media. (Photo by Heather Kirk-Ballard LSU AgCenter)

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Timing is everything when applying fertilizer

Heather Kirk-Ballard / LSU AgCenter horticulturist
Friday, April 29, 2022
Spring is here and the plants are booming. Plants perform best when they are getting the optimum amount of sunlight, appropriate amounts of water and plenty of essential nutrients for good growth and production of flowers and fruit. Optimize plant growth by knowing how and when to fertilize.
Internet.

Internet.

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Main barrier to broadband internet is cost

Rosel Flores / LSU Manship School News Service
Friday, April 29, 2022
In the fifth installment of the 2022 Louisiana Survey, released Tuesday, residents say the most common barrier to having broadband internet is the cost of the service.