 BY VICKI FERSTEL | Staff writer As the Fourth of July approaches, those of us who display Old Glory at our homes, schools and places of employment and worship have a chance to revisit the special rituals for respecting the red, white and blue. Among those, says contributing writer Danny Heitman, is that old flags shouldn’t simply be thrown away. And that's where Boy Scout Troop 136, chartered through St. George Catholic Church, stepped up, collecting bags of faded flags for a very special flag retirement ceremony.
John Carmouche says he isn’t who you think he is. The Baton Rouge lawyer just won a $745 million verdict against Chevron for damaging wetlands. But he’s no tree hugger. Nor, he says, is he a headline-chasing trial lawyer. Staff writer Alex Lubben says Carmouche insists he wants the oil industry to thrive in Louisiana, as long as it doesn’t leave behind a mess. Click here for the story.
Many of us have had life-changing experiences: a chance encounter, finding a new direction in life after getting lost. For Jay Grymes, it was walking through a door at the University of Delaware. That door, notes staff writer Robin Miller, was at the building where Grymes had just taken the final exam for a meteorology elective. Then he ran into the professor. They struck up a conversation: What was he majoring in? It wasn't meteorology. Through hard work and persistence, Grymes became a meteorologist at WAFB-TV and is now the Louisiana State Climatologist. Can we credit the weather gods? | 
