Good morning, Baton Rouge.

The Red, White, and Boots Festival held Saturday at VFW Post 3693 in Gonzales raised funds for Books for Boots — a volunteer group sending books and games to military families — and featured music, silent auctions, and activities to help reach its goal of a permanent space.

First Tuesday celebrated four years by expanding into Denham Springs and hosting its Sept.

1 service day with nearly 200 volunteers, beginning with breakfast at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and support at Launch Therapy Center (with students organizing a food drive at U-High for the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank).

Little Wars, Louisiana’s oldest independent game store, has built a community in Baton Rouge by hosting tournaments for Dungeons & Dragons, Magic & The Gathering, and Warhammer since 1987, with owner Van Vo recounting a July event that continued despite a power outage and set the stage for youth programs.

Southeastern Louisiana University’s Office of Military and Veteran Success, University Police and Roomie’s Pride Pantry will host a Memorial Stair Climb and Community Service for 9/11 Day on Sept.

11 at the University Center — check-in is at 7 a.m. Participants can climb 110 stories or volunteer to honor 343 NYC firefighters.

Holly and Smith Architects opened its new office in Baton Rouge on Tuesday, adding to its locations in Hammond, New Orleans, and Lafayette — a move that strengthens its local ties for ongoing projects in the capital region.

One Nuclear Energy LLC signed a letter of intent with a Louisiana landowner group to develop Project Cayman, a 2.88 GW natural gas plant and 700 MW battery storage project near RiverPlex MegaPark.

Public information meetings with local parishes are planned from September to December.

Manship Theatre will host a live cooking concert event on Sept.

13 in downtown Baton Rouge starting at 2 p.m. with a performance by Katie Love, followed by a demo from Chef Kevin Belton and John Papa Gros and an art reception at 4 p.m.

Ascension Public Schools appointed three new assistant principals (Nikki Lambert at Gonzales Primary, Emily Marchand at Lake Primary, and Heather Daniel at Dutchtown Primary) to strengthen local instruction.

Marty Dustin Nichols (42) is running for the Zachary Community School Board District 5 seat to bring a business approach to decision-making and support quality education for local families.

Nichols plans to help the district retain top teachers and prepare students for future careers.

Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and Keep Louisiana Beautiful launched the 'Love Our Waterways' initiative Tuesday, Sept.

1, to promote waterway protection across Louisiana during September. The program supports ongoing environmental improvement efforts statewide.

ConnectLA’s BEAD initiative will finish construction on nearly 15,000 broadband serviceable sites by early 2027 across Baton Rouge and 22 other parishes.

REV + Star have already served 2,434 and 302 sites respectively while deploying 1,800 miles of fiber and using over $1.36 billion in state funding.

Councilman Anthony Kenney Jr. announced a $2.38M investment in the Monte Sano Bayou Drainage Project to improve drainage and reduce flood risk in Scotlandville — construction will begin in Q4 2026 to benefit the Park Vista area.

Tina Williams of Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System is chairing the Capital Area Go Red for Women movement to boost heart health awareness and screenings among local women.

Southern University lost its season opener to Alabama State on Tuesday, Sept.

1 (30-17) and coach Marshall Faulk has postponed his media briefing to today due to a campus power outage; the Jaguars will host Kentucky State at The Bluff on Saturday at 6 p.m.