| By DREW BROACH | Deputy metro editor |
HOMECOMING: Meryl Kennedy fled Louisiana as soon as she could. After boarding school in Virginia, she got a Georgia college degree in international relations, the kind of thing you study if want to get far, far away from your 500-person hometown amid the farms and timberland of Morehouse Parish. Her next stop was to be the University of Oxford, for a master’s degree in Latin American studies. But during one summer back home, she got hooked on her father’s rice operation. Now, at 34, she’s the new face of Louisiana agriculture. UNDERSEA KILLER: When a mysterious disease killing corals in the Gulf of Mexico’s largest coral sanctuary was first spotted a few weeks ago, scientists sounded the alarm, suspecting it was the newly discovered affliction that’s been ravaging reefs in the Caribbean Sea but had somehow stayed out of the Gulf. Now, they’re pulling back, one scientist said, and are sure of only one thing: “We know something is happening. Something very strange.” For more environment news, subscribe to our free Louisiana Coastal Watch newsletter, emailed weekly. GATOR FLOAT: Want to see Louisiana’s 60-foot-long alligator float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? Here’s when and how. On this day, we thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines. Catch the latest news all day on NOLA.com. D.B. | 