🌱 Patch AM: How is LSU’s Lab School director reshaping education in Baton Rouge?

Hi there, Baton Rouge! We've got your morning read ready! Read on to stay connected. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• How is LSU’s Lab School director reshaping education in Baton Rouge?
• Can you help identify this porch pirate in Old Goodwood?
• Why Southern suddenly switched offensive coordinators under Marshall Faulk.

Also on today's calendar: The Dinner Detective True Crime Murder Mystery Dinner Show - Baton Rouge, LA.

Today's riddle: What did the balloon say to the doctor? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Sunday: Cloudy with a shower in spots, with a high of 80 and low of 64 degrees.
• Monday: A shower; fog in the morning, temps: high: 76, low: 57.
• Tuesday: Sunny, with a high of 80 and low of 58 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. University Laboratory School Director Rob Lyles Reflects on His Journey from Cub to Leader of the Pack (lsu.edu) — Baton Rouge families connected to LSU’s University Laboratory School can get a closer look at director and alumnus Rob Lyles’ plans to strengthen the K–12 lab school on LSU’s main campus. He talks about maximizing LSU resources, expanding technology and AI partnerships, and refocusing ULS on its original mission as a model demonstration school for Louisiana educators.
   

2. CRIME STOPPERS: Help needed to identify alleged porch package thief (wafb.com) — Police are asking Baton Rouge residents, especially in the Old Goodwood area, to help identify a person caught on camera stealing a child’s Christmas bicycle package from a porch in East Baton Rouge Parish. Capital Region Crime Stoppers is taking anonymous tips and may offer a cash reward, while the Better Business Bureau is reminding locals how to better protect deliveries from porch theft.
   

3. Southern pivots to hire Ken Merchant as offensive coordinator (wbrz.com) — Southern University in Baton Rouge is set to hire Sacramento State offensive coordinator Ken Merchant to run the Jaguars’ offense in 2026, marking a quick pivot from an earlier plan to hire Kyle Caskey. Known for his fast-paced “Go-Go Offense,” Merchant will join new head coach Marshall Faulk, with longtime NFL lineman Donald Penn II expected to oversee the offensive line.
   

4. A Louisiana Christmas: This Baton Rouge Beauregard Town home pays homage to family and history (nola.com) — A Beauregard Town homeowner has turned his historic Baton Rouge house into a deeply personal Louisiana Christmas showcase, blending antiques, family heirlooms, and foraged local greenery. Rooted in Acadian and Creole traditions, the “House of Palmetto” highlights how one couple uses history, inherited pieces, and natural decor to celebrate the season with a strong sense of place and heritage.
   

5. Louisiana creates fast track to approve power plants for data centers, big electricity users (kalb.com) — Louisiana regulators meeting in Baton Rouge have approved a fast-track process for building power plants to serve massive data centers and other big electricity users, with those companies paying only half the construction costs. The change could eventually affect utility bills for households across the state, while one Baton Rouge-based commissioner warned the move may weaken consumer protections and competitive bidding safeguards.
   

📸 Around Baton Rouge

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Baton Rouge

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

Thursday December 25

• Christmas Day
  Baton Rouge, LA Calendar

Thursday January 1

• New Year's Day
  Baton Rouge, LA Calendar Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Saturday January 3

• The Dinner Detective True Crime Murder Mystery Dinner Show - Baton Rouge, LA
  Crowne Plaza Executive Center Baton Rouge, an IHG Hotel , 4728 Constitution Ave , Baton Rouge
  6:00 pm

📣 Baton Rouge Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Sunday December 21

• Holiday Pop-Up Bar at The Queen Baton Rouge
  The Queen Baton Rouge , 1717 River Park Blvd , Baton Rouge
  4:00 pm
• Sunday Sacred Circle
  The Red Shoes , 2303 Government St , Baton Rouge
  5:00 pm
• Fun For ALL Cozy Winter-single/set
  Painting with a Twist , 711 Jefferson Hwy Ste 3A , Baton Rouge
  5:00 pm
• George Bell & Friends Holiday Show
  L'Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge , 777 L’Auberge Ave , Baton Rouge
  6:30 pm

Saturday December 27

• Children's Drawing and Painting Workshop
  West Baton Rouge Museum , 845 N Jefferson Ave , Port Allen
  10:30 am

Monday December 29

• Holiday Guitar Workshop
  School of Rock , 5830 S Sherwood Forest Blvd Suite A-6 , Baton Rouge
  11:00 am

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Hello neighbors!!
  I believe I found someone’s older dog that just became blind. He’s cold and lost. Please help me find its owner. He’s starving too. (Nextdoor Shenandoah Estates)
• This is Bandit he's missing if see him please inbox me hes been a part of this for
  A long time and we need him home I'm lost without my fur baby he has a perfect black circle on his side and a White nose here are his pictures… (Nextdoor Lake Park)

• Amazon.com, Inc. posted a job opening for Sr. Transportation Manager in Baton Rouge. Apply here.
• Costco Wholesale Corporation posted a job opening for Bakery Wrapper / Clean Up in Baton Rouge. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Baton Rouge here.

Ok Baton Rouge! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I feel lightheaded!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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