Rayne Penney says, "After 18 months of being a stay-at-home mother, I went back to an 8-to-5 job in Baton Rouge.
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Monday, August 20, 2018
As we wait impatiently for the start of college football season, here's a little item to stir up fans of the LSU Tigers:
Sunday, August 19, 2018
Dan Stein, of Baton Rouge, says, "When the Legislature is in session, I often reminisce about good times I had as a young man serving as a senatorial aide.
Saturday, August 18, 2018
It would appear clothes do make the man and can unmake him as well. A penchant for ostrich cowboy boots is one thing in the eyes of society, but a jacket quite another.
Thursday, August 16, 2018
My life just got further regulated by electric devices.
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Mention of Herman's Hermits' 1968 concert in Baton Rouge brought this story from "The Wizard Snowflake." (Don't ask me — I don't make up my readers' nicknames…):
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Warren Byrd, of Baton Rouge, says, "Around 1961, when I was 10, one of my best friends was Rick Newton.
Monday, August 13, 2018
J.E.T., of Baton Rouge, suggests that drivers tired of fighting the capital city's horrendous bridge traffic jams rise above the whole sordid business:
Sunday, August 12, 2018
With New Orleans' Audubon Zoo in the news recently due to the story of the escaped jaguar, Keith Horcasitas, our Yat reporter, thought it appropriate to mention the man who played a role in establishing two New Orleans icons — the zoo and Dixie beer:
Saturday, August 11, 2018
There is much talk today about civility and the lack thereof in America, as if this is a plague suddenly sweeping the nation.
Sweet Cecilia will perform at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 18 in the Cité des Arts' Robert D. Sidman Theatre, 109 Vine St., Lafayette.
In 1918, a Czechoslovakian immigrant fled his native land and came to work for a float designer in New Orleans. Between seasons, the man some knew as George Blattny decamped to Grand Isle, where he turned his paintbrushes to tales of pirates, earl…
Friday, August 10, 2018
Thursday, August 09, 2018
Outside the bon temps and good food, south Louisiana is known for its mix of great music. Cajun, zydeco, blues, hip-hop and metal — there is a wealth of bands making good music in each genre.
Speaking of past musical events, a burning memory about rock concert haze:
Wednesday, August 08, 2018
Our current obsession with canned meat brought this history lesson from James Clary Jr., of Baton Rouge:
Tuesday, August 07, 2018
Rick Marshall offers an example of how marriage teaches husbands humility:
Monday, August 06, 2018
Dudley Lehew, of Marrero, a former Associated Press reporter, says, "While working in Boston in the '60s, I saw a Massachusetts legislator do something that would make any Louisiana legislator smile with envy.
Sunday, August 05, 2018
Every August for years, I've been producing the Fearless Football Forecast, based on the premise that you shouldn't have to go to a bar to hear uninformed comments about LSU football.
Saturday, August 04, 2018
As if people weren’t problem enough, society must increasingly contend with their dogs. Under the moniker "fur babies," many are indulged and allowed to be as infantile as they wish, with owners excusing the barking-mad animal straining at the lea…
Baton Rouge
Friday, August 03, 2018
Thursday, August 02, 2018
On Thursday we told of a legendary 1968 rock concert in Baton Rouge. David Marmillion Sr., of Terrytown, recalls an even bigger one the next year:
Wednesday, August 01, 2018
Periodically, someone recalls the rock concert at the Redemptorist High football field July 26, 1968.
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Continuing our low-rent food seminar, Ric Kracht tells this heartbreaking (and stomach-turning) story:
Monday, July 30, 2018
Harry Clark, of Lafayette, waxes nostalgic:
Sunday, July 29, 2018
We've had several suggestions from readers about how to deal with annoying phone calls from folks trying to extract money from us. Olive M. Campbell's tale is one of my favorites.
Saturday, July 28, 2018
The bane and benefit of the English language is that it’s always in flux. New words evolve at an alarming rate, the product of a society constantly in search of self-expression. And while English has never been a creator of complicated compound no…
In a column last week, I touched on the legacy of Fred Rogers, whose life and work are the subject of a new documentary, "Won't You Be My Neighbor?," that’s been playing in theaters this summer.
Baton Rouge
Friday, July 27, 2018
Thursday, July 26, 2018
The Cajun Navy, formed in 2005 in response to Hurricane Katrina, will be featured in a documentary spotlighting every day civilians who risk their lives to assist others during devastating storms according to a Discovery Channel report.
Thomas Murrel, of Church Point, says, "After all the Tulane Stadium stories, here's mine about the Superdome.
When it comes to superhero movies, there’s a perception that you’ve got to choose between DC’s gritty, dour offerings or Marvel’s winking humor. But five cartoon wannabe heroes armed with fart jokes are trying to change that.
If you assume from the title of Meg Myers’ new album that she’s taken a fun and frivolous turn, you’ll be sorely mistaken. Thrilled, but very mistaken.
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Regarding our seminar on Huey Long, Mike Richard points out that "Huey was not the only colorful Long to serve as governor of Louisiana.
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Like many fans of the LSU Tigers, Duke Rivet, of Baton Rouge, is worried about the 2018 season. He feels something needs to be done — about the mascot:
Monday, July 23, 2018
Bo Bienvenu, of Prairieville, our unpaid theology consultant, tells this story about a divine gift:
Sunday, July 22, 2018
Alex "Sonny" Chapman, of Ville Platte, says, "A recent story in the column about chatting with JFK in a New Orleans hotel while he was in boxers and T-shirt reminds me of another JFK/Louisiana story.
Saturday, July 21, 2018
There’s a line in the show "Sons of Anarchy" where gang member Jimmy Smits says, “I prefer more patina on my precious metal.” He’s coming on to biker matriarch Katey Sagal, an older woman on TV who upstages the men for mayhem and sex appeal.
LAFAYETTE — The Quilters' Guild Acadienne is exhibiting 32 quilts through Aug. 31 at its third annual show at the Acadiana Center for the Arts, 101 W. Vermilion St.
Friday, July 20, 2018
Thursday, July 19, 2018
Like Paul Simon's "Graceland" and Talking Heads' entire discography, Dirty Projectors' music is the perfect background music for "hip" white people.
Mary Manhein, the "Bone Lady" at LSU, famous for establishing identities through bone examination (and writing books about her work), offers a Tiger Stadium story:
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Richard Fossey says, "One night, my wife, Kim, and I were debating what to watch on television.
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Continuing tales of Louisiana political history, Gene Knispel recalls the fall of 1959, when U.S. Sen. John F. Kennedy, "coyly" eyeing the presidency, visited Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
Monday, July 16, 2018
Grandparents have some advantages over parents — we can play with the kids and spoil them, then give them back.
Sunday, July 15, 2018
Since I bet you're just dying to know what's going on in my life, I can tell you that we're in the middle of an extensive renovation project at Maison Smiley.
Saturday, July 14, 2018
LAFAYETTE — Salvador Dalí became a devout Catholic when he converted in the 1950s.