Louisiana

Drago’s is set to open a new Baton Rouge restaurant in Perkins Rowe this summer, after it closed its first local location in January. The restaurant will move into a nearly 7,300-square-foot space that had previously been occupied by Kona Grill. Tommy Cvitanovich, Drago’s owner, said the new Baton Rouge location will be “extra cool” because of all of the events that will be held right outside of the restaurant, in the Perkins Rowe Square. “I am really excited to re-open in Baton Rouge and add breakfast like our original...

The next session of Accelerate Women’s Entrepreneurship put on by the Louisiana Entrepreneurship & Economic Development will start later this month. Sessions will be 9 a.m.-4 p.m. May 20, May 27 and June 3 and will offer training, opportunities for mentorships with successful entrepreneurs, one-on-one consulting during and after the program and connections to community resources. The program is open to existing business owners seeking assistance with growth strategies and anyone with a business idea or who want to turn a hobby or side job into a full-time business. Applications...

A key bill for the multi-billion-dollar container ship terminal and road project in St. Bernard Parish moved forward in the Louisiana House of Representatives on Monday over continued opposition from several parish politicians and residents. The bill, sponsored by Republican Mark Wright from Covington, would give explicit permission for the Port of New Orleans to enter into negotiations with private sector partners to build a toll road from the site of the proposed new terminal to the interstate system 10 miles away. The fight over Wright's bill in recent weeks...

Louisiana's John Foster is headed into Sunday night's "American Idol" grand finale after another magical "Disney Night" on Monday's "Idol" episode. Host Ryan Seacrest announced Foster as the first finalist of three headed into Sunday. Foster will be singing against stay-at-home mom Breanna Nix, of Denton, Texas; and teacher Jamal Roberts, of Meridian, Mississippi, to become Season 23's winner. Seacrest also mentioned that Foster would be getting a hero's welcome home to Addis. The parade in Foster's honor is slated to start at 5 p.m. along First Street in Addis...

The use of French and Creole in Louisiana has been on the decline for decades, although a number of initiatives and organizations are attempting to slow the slide and preserve the state’s unique cultural history. But there’s one area where the state’s heritage languages can still be regularly heard: Louisiana music. “As we have this ongoing language loss in Louisiana, why is it in music that Louisiana keeps perpetuating the French language? And how are musicians doing that today?” says Scott Tilton, the co-founder and co-director of the New Orleans...

With artificial intelligence rapidly becoming a major part of everyday life, schools must navigate how to integrate the new technology into classrooms in ways that enhance learning, rather than detract from it. When used properly, AI can open up opportunities for students and give teachers a new set of tools to get kids engaged in learning, said Leslie Eaves, director of project-based learning at the Southern Regional Education Board, a nonprofit that works to improve education in the region. The group recently released a new guide for educators on how...

Louisianans will flock to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach over the next few months, drawn to the 32-mile stretch of sugar-white sand and blue water less than a three-hour drive from New Orleans. But while the Alabama Gulf Coast remains popular with beachgoers and many parts of Baldwin County are booming, the massive condominium complexes that line the shore are having a harder time attracting buyers. Condo sales in Baldwin County, which includes Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, were down 17% last year compared to the year before, and are...

For the five girls who gathered at the New Orleans Conchetta Facility on a sunny Saturday in April, in some ways, it was a Girl Scouts meeting like any other. The young Scouts, between 5 and 7, worked on a small craft with their mothers— constructing a plastic garden toy together, fit with glittery pink sand and a small, seated unicorn. They ate a warm meal together— Domino's Pizza and wings, or sandwiches handmade by the Girl Scout troop's organizers. The girls held hands with their moms across the tables,...

Heather Sweeney has been hired as director of development for the Bureau of Governmental Research. Sweeney has two decades of experience in fundraising and philanthropy, including serving as director of development for Second Harvest Food Bank for more than 11 years. She earned a bachelor's in psychology from Connecticut College and a master's from Ohio State University. Emily Olivier Kesler has been elected by Baker Donelson as a shareholder.

This article is brought to you by the Louisiana Commercial Fishing Coalition LLC. The BP oil spill—triggered by the Deepwater Horizon explosion 15 years ago last month—remains the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. The Deepwater Horizon explosion killed 11 people and released nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf, devastating ecosystems and contaminating key fishing grounds. Among the species affected were menhaden—small, oily fish essential to the Gulf’s ecosystem and Louisiana’s economy.