State

Getting figgy with it

It’s fig season in Louisiana! This year turned out an excellent crop here on LSU’s main campus. Figs (Ficus carica) are native to the Middle East and Western Asia but have become naturalized here in North America.

Shot At A Million winners named

Gov. John Bel Edwards and the Louisiana Department of Health announced the second winners of the Shot At A Million COVID-19 campaign.

Tri-Parish workforce grows, but jobless rate inches up

The Tri-Parish workforce grew 5.7% to 68,545 in June, according to Bureau of Labor statistics released Friday by the Louisiana Workforce Commission. But unemployment, while down from a year ago, inched up in June compared to May in St. Landry, Acadia and Evangeline parishes.

Ascension Parish puts public finances online

Ascension Parish is taking steps to provide heightened taxpayer accountability. Mirroring the Louisiana Checkbook, a state fiscal transparency website, elected officials in the southeastern Louisiana parish have opted to display public finances on a searchable online portal.

State officials, friends react to death of Edwin Edwards

Personal friends, state officials, former state officials, even political adversaries are reacting to Monday’s news of the death of former Governor Edwin W. Edwards.

Edwin W. Edwards dead at 93

Former Gov. Edwin W. Edwards, who embodied Louisiana’s populist era in the late 20th century — championing the poor and ushering Black people and women into state government — died just before 7 a.m. Monday at his home in Gonzales.

Live each day like the hibiscus

With several hundred types of hibiscus, one could write a book on this plant alone — and many have done so. The name hibiscus gets its origins from the ancient Greek word “hibiskos,” which means marsh mallow or white mallow.

Rice researchers highlight variety development, growing methods at field day

More than 400 rice producers and industry insiders gathered for the first post-pandemic field day at the LSU AgCenter H. Rouse Caffey Rice Research Station on June 30.

SU Ag Center set to host its 2021 Youth Expo on July 30

The Southern University Ag Center will host its 2021 Youth Expo themed, “Nurturing the Minds of Young Leaders,” on July 30. The free youth event will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Felton G. Clark Activity Center on the campus of Southern University.

Signup deadline for LSU College of Agriculture Stakeholder Summit is Friday

The LSU College of Agriculture Stakeholder Summit will take place from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 7 at LSU. Summit events include a welcome breakfast, department breakout session and lunch with closing discussion.