Roundup: LSU’s AI course / The Red Stitch / Gulf dead zone

AI literacy arrives: LSU has launched AI Literacy Essentials, a free online course teaching the basics of artificial intelligence, ethical use, information verification and practical AI skills for school and work. The course currently is available to LSU students, faculty and staff and will open to the public on Aug. 26. Developed by LSU Online and faculty across multiple disciplines, the course aims to give Louisianans the knowledge and confidence to navigate an increasingly AI-driven world.

Where threads gather: The Red Stitch, a new needlepoint shop and social space on Jefferson Highway in Baton Rouge, offers canvases, threads and accessories along with cozy areas for stitching, classes and mahjong. Owner Sarah Edgecomb opened the shop on Aug. 8 after falling in love with needlepoint and wanting to create a creative community space. The shop embraces its Baton Rouge roots with a fleur-de-lis and sugarcane logo, crawfish-tray-inspired shopping trays and the nickname “Stitch Krewe.” 225 has the full story.

Gulf breathes again: Scientists from LSU and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium found that this summer’s Gulf of Mexico “dead zone” measured 1,332 square miles, the second-smallest in 40 years and much smaller than expected. Tropical Storm Bertha mixed oxygen-rich water into the Gulf, temporarily shrinking the zone, though researchers say long-term trends matter more than one year’s measurement. The research supports efforts by Louisiana to reduce nutrient pollution to support the agriculture and wastewater industries and shrink the dead zone below 1,900 square miles by 2035. Louisiana Illuminator has the full story.