Not taking off yet: Bell Helicopter has committed to operating in Lafayette for the next two years, The Advertiser reports. In his report to the commission on Wednesday, Lafayette Regional Airport Executive Director Steven Picou said the company is about to begin modifications to an 82,300-square-foot manufacturing facility that was designed to be a manufacturing center for Bell’s 505 Jet X Ranger helicopter. The state paid $26.3 million to build the airport-owned assembly center, which opened in August. Bell has been leasing the facility and committed to making an additional $11.5 million capital investment in equipment and tooling. In May, Bell announced that it was pulling its 505 Ranger X helicopter operation from Lafayette and moving it to Canada. Read the full story.
Help from above: Drones are being put to good use by public agencies in central Louisiana, and their usage is expected to increase, The Town Talk reports. The drones are being used by agencies to help them do their jobs more efficiently, and they can even help in potential life-or-death situations. The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office uses its drone for “search and rescue on land-based operations,” according to Lt. Tommy Carnline. Grant Parish Sheriff Steven McCain says his office has had its drone for several months, and it has already proved very useful during recent flooding. The flooding limited deputies’ movements, “so we put it up in the air and were able to get video and photos in live time. We were concerned about people getting trapped. We could see houses and make sure nobody was on the rooftop and needing help,” McCain says. Randy Price, an assistant professor for the LSU AgCenter office based in Alexandria, works with eight battery-powered drones used in the central Louisiana area for agricultural purposes. Read the full story.
In it to win it: Tulane University says it has received more than 50 entries but is still taking registrations for a $1 million contest to combat “dead zones” where water holds too little oxygen to support aquatic or marine life. As The Associated Press reports, one such area forms off the Louisiana coast every summer, but the problem is worldwide. The Nitrogen Reduction Challenge is looking for ways to maintain or increase agricultural yields while reducing runoff of nitrogen and other nutrients that contribute to the problem. The nutrients feed blooms of one-celled plants and animals that die, fall to the bottom and decompose, using up oxygen. Registrations are due by Aug. 15 and an advisory committee will review the first 100 technical submissions received by Sept. 30. Up to five semifinalists will get a farm plot in northeast Louisiana to test their ideas. A national advisory committee will choose the winner. Get complete details.
