Good morning, Baton Rouge.

Youth City Lab, a new center built with a $2.3 million investment, will open later this fall at 4385 Government St to bring together four nonprofits (Line4Line, Big Buddy, Humanities Amped, and Front Yard Bikes) offering learning and creative programs for kids.

Hunters for the Hungry Louisiana set up Clean Out Your Freezer Day on Aug.

23 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Baton Rouge at spots such as the Fire Department, where hunters will donate packaged frozen food to feed people and clear space for the hunting season.

Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank and Three O'Clock Project will complete their joint community kitchen by the end of 2027 in Baton Rouge.

The facility will initially serve up to 1,000 meals a day and later expand to 5,000–7,000 using private donations + a combined network.

Due to new weight limits on local bridges, some Zachary students now must walk farther for bus pickup on busy East Flanacher Road.

The school district is reviewing options for added safety at new bus stops (including potential turnaround spots) as classes resume tomorrow.

East Baton Rouge Parish School System opened its new Welcome Center on South Foster Drive Tuesday to help families enroll students for the upcoming school year (it offers services for all district schools except magnet programs).

Tiffany Jenkins said the center will streamline registration and resource connections.

On Aug. 1, a new state law allowed public college students to carry pepper spray on campus, but they cannot bring it into patient care facilities or settings with armed security.

The law aims to boost campus safety.

As school starts, experts say parents can help children manage anxiety from changing friend groups, performance pressure and appearance concerns — key challenges for back-to-school transitions.

They can use practical strategies to ease these shifts and support mental well-being.

Alzheimer’s Services of the Capital Area is hosting its Walk to Remember on Oct.

24 from 8 a.m. to noon at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana’s campus on Reitz Avenue in Baton Rouge to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s & unite the community; registration is open.

Baton Rouge General President and CEO Edgardo Tenreiro was named chair of the Louisiana Hospital Association Board of Trustees in late July.

He began his one-year term to work with health leaders across the state to boost hospital care.

Several Baton Rouge restaurants were cited by the Louisiana Health Department for critical health violations from late July through Aug.

4, including Plank Market & Deli for live birds and Bullfish Bistro for putrid food, while others struggled with gnats and missing food safety certificates.

The Downtown Development District’s 2026 Development Toolkit, released Tuesday, shows that downtown Baton Rouge has received over $3.08 billion in investments since 1987, with property values six times the parish average, 95 percent occupancy and a $20 million hotel investment in five years.

Khy Jones of Donaldsonville is set to return as a senior wide receiver after a challenging season of injuries, aiming to silence doubters (he earned second team all-district and all parish honors and has offers from Southwest Mississippi JC and Grambling State).

Former Southern edge rusher Ckelby Givens may play a fifth season with the Jaguars after a court ruling granted extra eligibility to 2022 high school graduates, and Southern expects an update in 7 to 12 days.

LSU women's basketball revealed its 2026-27 schedule with 17 home games, 10 road contests, two exhibitions and four neutral matchups.

Play begins at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center — games start Nov. 2 against the Southeastern Lions and a nonconference game is set for Dec. 20 against UConn in Nashville.