BY DOUG GRAHAM | Staff writer Steve Scalise spent Thursday trying to win over recalcitrant Republicans in his bid to become the next speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. He eventually decided to drop the effort, communicating the news to fellow House Republicans in a letter Thursday night. The Louisiana Republican would have been the first from the Pelican State to serve as speaker. He will continue as majority leader, the second highest ranking person in House leadership. For now, the House remains rudderless, unable to do any work without a leader. LSU's Logan Diggs has become the starting running back on one of the best offenses in the country, something made possible by a single mother who raised two boys. “She sacrificed so much for me and my brother growing up,” Diggs said. Read about the path Diggs took to find success, and the role his family played. "Celebrate! Judi Betts: Sixty-Year Watercolor Retrospective," a look back at the artist's 60-year art career, runs through Dec. 29 at the Manship Theatre's Jones Walker Gallery. It features more than 100 of Betts' watercolors, the subjects ranging from front porches to cowboy life. Betts, 87, is celebrating her art career of six decades, but she hasn't stopped making art. For more: See photos and videos of Betts' work. | 