Roundup: Pennington grant / Prince St. Pizza / Cassidy backs Blanche

Developing safer teen drivers: Jeffrey Keller of LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Sara Seifert of Minnesota HealthSolutions have received a $353,306 NIH Small Business Innovation Research Phase I award to develop a smartphone-based platform that helps parents support teens with ADHD as they learn to drive, a group at especially high risk for crashes. The platform will combine driving data, personalized coaching and parent engagement tools to encourage safer driving habits, track progress and provide insights that can also help healthcare providers better manage ADHD-related driving challenges. 

Champion’s slice: Prince St. Pizza has announced that former UFC champion Jon Jones is joining restaurateur Lawrence Kourie as a partner in the brand’s upcoming Baton Rouge location, set to open in early fall. The New York City-born pizzeria will bring its signature Sicilian-style square pies and pepperoni-loaded slices to the area, with Jones participating in grand opening events and activations.  

Decisive support: U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy announced he will vote to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general, providing likely decisive support for the nomination despite acknowledging concerns about some of Blanche’s past decisions. Cassidy describes Blanche as a capable administrator who understands the law and has prioritized violent crime, trafficking and healthcare fraud, arguing the alternative would be another acting attorney general. Bloomberg has the full story.