In the mix: Baton Rouge is one of seven cities selected by the National League of Cities’ Institute for Youth, Education and Families to participate in a learning collaborative on health disparities focused on childhood obesity, Mayor Kip Holden announced today. The collaborative process is designed to develop and frame emerging city-level strategies to reduce critical childhood obesity-related health disparities linked to social, economic and physical barriers faced by many low-income communities and communities of color. Other cities selected for the project are: Cleveland; Kansas City; Lincoln, Nebraska; Oklahoma City; Savannah, Georgia; and Virginia Beach, Virginia. The mayor’s office has complete details.
Game on! The Global Game Jam is returning to the LSU campus for a second year later this month. Over a 48-hour span beginning on Friday, Jan. 23, amateurs and professional video game developers alike will gather at the LSU Digital Media Center on campus to compete with gamers at nearly 500 other locations across 72 countries. Local developers who want to partake have until Thursday, Jan. 22, to register. Cost is $25 per person. The registration fee includes breakfast and dinners, along with a midnight snack. LSU has complete event and registration details.
Seeking a seat: Metro Councilman Ryan Heck is vying to fill the open at-large seat on the Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish’s executive committee. “As a member of the Metro Council, it has been my privilege to fight for fiscal responsibility, economic growth and limited government,” Heck says in a news release issued today. “And I have learned in my time as an elected official that it is crucial we have a vibrant and resolute Republican Party in this parish if we’re to win elections and carry the issues of the day. I reached out to Chairman Woody Jenkins on Thursday and informed him of my intention to seek nomination of the position.”
