First place: Marcelle Boudreaux and Jonathan LeJune, two LSU architecture students, were part of a team that took first place in the 2009 Chase Community Development Competition. Boudreaux and LeJune teamed up with students from the University of New Orleans, DePaul University, and the Lower Ninth Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development to create a business plan and architectural renderings for a grocery store in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward. Getting a grocery store in the historic neighborhood, which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, has been a long-term project. The winning team, which collected a $25,000 prize, included UNO urban planning students Rosanna Ballinger, Melissa Ehlinger, John King and Lucas Lilly.
Still the king: Americans are watching more television than ever, despite competition from the Internet, DVDs and advanced video game machines. Americans spent 4 hours and 49 minutes a day watching TV during 2008-09, reports the Nielsen Company. That’s up four minutes a day from the 2007-08 season and nearly an hour from 1997-98. Nielsen said there were several factors, including more televisions in the household, a greater selection of channels and programming and the fact that there are more unemployed people staying at home, watching television.
