Late homer lifts LSU over South Carolina

Designated hitter Blake Dean launched a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the 10th inning this afternoon to lift No. 8 LSU to a 5-4 victory over No. 19 South Carolina in the first round of the SEC Tournament at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala. LSU (40-16-1) won its 17th straight game and advances to play Thursday against the winner of this evening's Vanderbilt-Florida game. Facing a 4-0 deficit, LSU rallied for four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning, fueled by a three-run homer by first baseman Matt Clark, to send the game into extra innings. “It was an amazing comeback,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri.”It was probably one of the best I have witnessed as a coach. This is a self-motivated team. They believe in each other, and they know how to win. This has been exciting, so I hope it keeps going. It’s been fun.”

Perrilloux speaks on dismissal from LSU

Former LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux is talking for the first time about the events that led to him getting kicked off the football team and starting over at Jacksonville State, a small college north of Birmingham, Ala. Perrilloux told Yahoo Sports he suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, which led to a feeling of restlessness. He doesn't blame the malady for his troubles with the Tigers. "It took me to be dismissed from LSU to realize I have to be a person that does the right things all of the time,” he says. Perrilloux says he's looking forward to his first game at Jacksonville State, a nationally televised ESPN game against Georgia Tech. "A lot of people want to see me do well, and I don’t want to let anybody down," Perrilloux says. "That’s why I came here.” Read the story here .

Longtime LSU-area pizza restaurant closes

The Mr. Gatti's Pizza at the North Gates of LSU, a restaurant that has fed thousands of students and faculty since 1977, closed last week. Louis Handal, who was general manager of the Lake Street pizza parlor for the past 10 years, says declining sales forced the restaurant to shut down. "We really were in the red last year," Handal says. "Inflation affected us, with the cost of all the milk products going up. We had to go up on prices and that cut our customer traffic down a bit." Phillip Moody, who owns the property, has no intention to sell the site and is planning to remodel the restaurant and reopen it as something more profitable, such as a coffee shop that sells sandwiches. "We would like to have it ready by September," says Handal, now general manager of the Gatti's on Essen Lane. "It was heart-yanking to close the restaurant, but some of the customers have followed me over here and we kept our management staff." -- Timothy Boone

The battle between Ascension and Livingston

Ascension and Livingston parishes are locked in a battle to determine which will be tops in economic development. While economic development was slow to come to Livingston, the parish has taken off in recent years, with total wages increasing by 56% over the past three years. Meanwhile, the petrochemical base in Ascension continues to grow, with new projects coming on line. Read the cover story here. Send comments to editors@businessreport.com.

La. ranks high for texting while driving

A new survey shows 28% of people admitted to sending or reading text messages while driving and that Louisiana ranks fifth for the practice. The survey was released by Vlingo, a voice-powered user interface that works with wireless devices. South Carolina was the worst state for texting while driving, with 40% of respondents saying they've done it, while Arizona had the best record, with 17% admitting they've sent messages while behind the wheel.

First Old South Baton Rouge grant winners named

The first five recipients of Old South Baton Rouge Façade Improvement Grants were announced today. They are:

-- Marlene’s Hair and Nails – 2156 Thomas H. Delpit Drive

-- Wings and Things – 1480 Thomas H. Delpit Drive

-- Ingram’s Fabricated Filters – 1491 Thomas H. Delpit Drive

-- Ingram’s Upholstery – 1491 Thomas H. Delpit Drive

-- Inga’s Subs and Salads – 254 W. Chimes St.

Recipients get matching grants of up to $5,000 for a one-story building or $7,500 for a two-story building. They also get free design assistance from NeighborWorks America; the exact amounts of each grant will depend on the design. Grants are funded by Capital One and the East Baton Rouge Mortgage Finance Authority and administered by the Center for Planning Excellence with the Old South Baton Rouge Partnership. The designs will be guided by the Old South Baton Rouge Pattern Book, released today and available at planningexcellence.org. The pattern book was created by CPEX with support from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and the Mortgage Finance Authority, and provides a guide for constructing and renovating buildings in a way that is affordable, energy efficient, aesthetically pleasing, and consistent with the historical styles of the neighborhood.

Rising food prices squeeze LSU dining services

LSU students will see almost a 7% increase in the cost of their meal plans, mirroring a national trend of steeply rising food prices squeezing campus dining halls. The costs of staples like cheese and grain are going through the roof. The Consumer Price Index, which measures the average price of goods and services purchased by households, rose 0.2% in April and 0.3% in March. "We've seen stuff over the last 12 months double or triple," says David Heidke, director of LSU dining services.

High fuels prices resulting in fuel surcharges on deliveries adds to the pressure. At LSU, the situation is further exacerbated by debt service on the university's popular new dining facility, 459 Commons, as well as a nationwide minimum wage hike coming this summer. Heidke says dining services is doing everything it can to offset the cost without affecting quality. The new facility, which opened in January in the Laville Food Emporium, doesn't use trays, which has resulted in nearly a 30% reduction in wasted food and cut utility expenses because trays don't have to be washed. Besides negotiating with vendors, another way dining services is offsetting costs is by making more things from scratch rather buying more expensive pre-made products. "One of the things we're looking at is whether you make homemade pizza dough," Heidke says. -- Steve Clark

Spectrum moving into Central and Zachary

Merge Fitness locations in Central and Zachary will soon become Spectrum Fitness Club locations. The company signed a licensing and management deal with Baton Rouge-based Spectrum. “We couldn’t be more excited – we now have the best in the business running our clubs, and we can’t wait to see the results,” said Al Moreau, owner of Moreau Physical Therapy and the Merge Fitness locations. Ownership of both locations will not change, and Amy Wall has been named director of the centers. The Zachary location on Church Street will undergo major aesthetic and functional renovations, and get new cardio and strength training equipment. The Central location on Sullivan Road will get a childcare center.

Mid City: One of the best

The Mid City Redevelopment Alliance is a finalist in Neighborhoods USA’s annual competition for the Best Neighborhood Program of the Year. The award honor organizations who reflects best practices for revitalizing communities and strengthening neighborhoods. The award will be presented this week at Neighborhoods USA's annual conference in Virginia.

Poll: Most say labor shortage isn't hurting them

Most Daily Report readers say they aren't being affected by the shortage of workers in South Louisiana. Forty percent of the people who responded to an online survey say they haven't been impacted by the local labor shortage, while 23% say they have been affected a little bit. Twenty-six percent of respondents say they have been impacted a lot by the shortage of workers, while 11% don't know if they have been affected. More than 900 people participated in the survey.

Today's question: Who will win American Idol tonight?

News roundup: Penn National deal may involve revised terms; new downtown restaurant debuts; Miles and Ezra take on the hurricanes

Firms buying casino operator haggling with banks: The companies buying casino and racetrack operator Penn National Gaming are jostling with banks over terms for the $6.1 billion leveraged buyout, The New York Times reports. The buyers Fortress Investment Group and Centerbridge Partners LP, and banks led by Deutsche Bank and Wachovia, are working to negotiate the final terms of the financing commitments. Penn National is the parent company of Hollywood Casino Baton Rouge. Another place to go: Miller's is now open on Third Street, in the building that used to be home to New York Bagel. The Cajun-Creole restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch on weekdays, and will start opening for dinner and on weekends in a few weeks. Baton Rouge's dream team: LSU football coach Les Miles and local rock band Better than Ezra are joining together to get Louisiana residents ready for hurricane season. Miles and the band will attend a press conference with Gov. Bobby Jindal Thursday afternoon to announce the "Get a Game Plan" campaign which aims to prepare people for storms.