Survey: B.R. tops for hospital patient satisfaction

A new report found that Baton Rouge residents gave the highest marks for their hospital care. According to the Hospital Pulse Report: Patient Perspectives on American Health Care, 93.5% of people polled from the Capital Region say they were satisfied with the quality of hospital care they received. The results, compiled by Press Ganey, which provides customer feedback from hospitals, were based on nearly 3 million patient surveys. Columbus, Ohio, was ranked second, with 92.5% of residents saying they received satisfactory hospital care. Press Ganey says hundreds of cities were included in the survey. Maine was ranked as the top overall state, with 87.3% of residents saying they were satisfied with the care they got. Louisiana was ranked 15th among all states.

FDA backs off raw oyster ban

Facing fierce resistance, the Obama administration today backed off a plan to ban sales of raw oysters from the Gulf of Mexico during warm weather. The Food and Drug Administration told lawmakers it would put the proposal on hold while it studies ways to make consumption of raw oysters safer, according to several lawmakers. The oyster industry—as well as Democrats and Republicans across the Gulf—blasted the plan as unnecessary government meddling. They said it could have killed a $500 million industry and thousands of jobs. "By reversing course, the FDA has acknowledged that its original plan was unreasonable and that we need a commonsense approach to protecting the small number of at-risk consumers,” U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu says. About 15 people die each year in the United States from raw oysters infected with Vibrio vulnificus, which typically is found in warm coastal waters between April and October. Most of the deaths occur in people with weak immune systems caused by health problems like liver or kidney disease, cancer, diabetes, or AIDS. The oyster industry has been working with regulators for years to improve its safety performance by increasing refrigeration and trying to raise awareness of the hazards to people with weak immune systems. The FDA proposal—which had been slated to go into effect in 2011—would have prohibited sales of raw oysters from the Gulf for much of the year unless the shellfish were treated to destroy bacteria.

Texas Instruments donates to Southern engineering program

Texas Instruments donated $100,000 to Southern University’s College of Engineering this afternoon after senior vice president Art George gave students career advice. The donation will go to the electrical engineering program to fund scholarships and laboratories, and to support a TI course the company founded at the university last year. George, an alumnus of the Southern engineering program, is worldwide manager of the Texas Instruments Inc. High-Performance Analog business unit. He told students identifying and marketing their talents in addition to persistence, resilience and willingness to work hard are among some of the qualities necessary to succeed in the business and engineering. "We have an obligation to those that come before us and to those who come after us," George said. "Your future is bright if you believe, if you work hard and have faith."—Emma James

Son of executed DC sniper: 'I am my own man.'

Three days after his father's execution, the 27-year-old son of D.C. sniper John Allen Muhammad says he doesn't want to be judged by the crimes of a father he didn't really know until the shooting spree. Striking an almost defensive chord, Lindbergh Williams told reporters, "I am the son of the D.C. sniper, but not him. You see what I'm saying? I am my own man and make my own decisions." Muhammad was put to death Tuesday in Virginia for killing Dean Harold Meyers at a gas station during an October 2002 shooting spree that left 10 people dead and terrorized Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., over a three-week period. Muhammad, formerly known as John Allen Williams, grew up in Baton Rouge, where his son now lives. His family is planning a funeral Tuesday in the city but the details weren't yet available. Williams says he was with his father the day of his execution, but they didn't talk about the killings. Instead, Williams says his father embraced him, told him that he loved and missed his family and talked about "old times." Williams was Muhammad's son by his first wife, Carol. The marriage lasted from 1981 to 1988, and Muhammad later remarried, had three more children and divorced again. Williams says his father wasn't a part of his life before the sniper shootings. But after Muhammad's arrest, Williams says he began talking to his father on the phone and exchanging letters with him.

Lee to start for Tigers, ESPN reports; Alleva addresses officiating

Jarrett Lee will start at quarterback for LSU on Saturday night against Louisiana Tech, ESPN.com reports. Jordan Jefferson, who has been the Tigers' starter this season, is recovering from an ankle injury sustained last week in their 24-15 loss at Alabama. Jefferson is expected to dress and could play if needed. Freshman Russell Shepard may also be included in some special plays, ESPN reports.

Meanwhile, LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva, in a letter posted on LSU’s Web site and e-mailed to fans, addressed questionable calls against Alabama, including a fourth-quarter play in which it appeared Patrick Peterson had intercepted a Crimson Tide pass. Officials ruled the pass incomplete, and Alabama retained possession. “We have received numerous e-mails about the LSU vs. Alabama game and the performance of the officials in that game,” Alleva writes. “Please be assured that there is a mechanism within our conference that allows coaches and administrators to voice their opinion about the performance of officials in SEC athletic contests. We will continue to refrain from making public comments about officials, but that does not mean we do not speak out loud and clear as an institution to the league office when appropriate.”

One-week layoff drives up La. jobless claims

First-time claims for unemployment benefits in Louisiana shot up 21% last week because of a temporary one-week layoff in the transportation equipment sector. According to the Louisiana Workforce Commission, there were 5,488 initial claims for the week ending Saturday. There were 4,533 first-time claims the previous week. Initial claims for the comparable week ending Nov. 8, 2008, totaled 2,705. Last week, there were 60,676 continuing claims — down slightly from the previous week's 60,755. A year ago, there were 29,443 continuing unemployment claims from the jobless.

Weather takes toll on La., Miss., and cotton

A federal report has confirmed concerns about cotton production losses in Louisiana and Mississippi because of the wet fall. The U.S. Department of Agriculture this week lowered production estimates from October, a month that brought abnormally wet weather to parts of the region, delaying harvest and lowering the quality of many farmers' cotton. Farmers also began the year with fewer cotton acres, a continuation of a trend away from the costly-to-produce crop to corn and soybeans that offered better prices. Based on Nov. 1 conditions, the USDA estimate production in Louisiana will hit 360,000 bales. That's up from 2008's hurricane-affected crop but would still be one of the lowest production years since 1975.

Thad Hayes designs interiors, changes lives

Within a few weeks of graduating from LSU with an environmental design degree, Thad Hayes had bolted for New York City and was looking for work. The 23-year-old ended up freelancing on various garden projects, hauling bags of soil through apartment buildings. Those small-scale jobs led to his first of many superstar clients when he was hired to design Robert De Niro’s Tribeca rooftop with Tim DuVal. Thirty years on, Hayes, 53, operates his own design firm overlooking Bryant Park. Since May he has been designing the residence of fashion icon Marc Jacobs. Since starting his own firm in 1985 he has made a name for himself by skillfully transforming Manhattan’s brownstones, lofts and high-rise condos into serene, orderly escapes from the chaotic streets below. For more about Hayes' business transformation, read the 225 magazine article here.

News roundup: Pennington's Ryan named head of Obesity Society ... Columnist: Social media empowering fans

Honor for researcher: Dr. Donna H. Ryan, the associate executive director for clinical research at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, has been named president of the Obesity Society. Ryan has been a member of the organization, which is dedicated to the study of obesity, since 2000. Ryan, who has written more than 100 publications about obesity, calls the disease "the most serious health issue facing our country."

People have the power: Social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are empowering college football fans, allowing them to expose player misconduct and officiating calls that may have gone unreported by the traditional media, says Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandel. A couple of incidents involved LSU this season—a costly excessive celebration call on Georgia that helped the Tigers and a controversial non-interception call against Alabama that hurt the team. "The ability of fans to post and review the clips on YouTube, then disperse and debate them on blogs and on Twitter, has helped turn such controversies into far bigger stories than they were in the past," says Mandel. Read the column here.