Farm to school: The Louisiana Department of Education Division of Nutrition Support and the LSU AgCenter have launched a multiyear effort designed to increase the amount of locally-produced foods served in schools, according to a news release. The three-year agreement includes a $900,000 grant to support a statewide farm-to-school program. Louisiana schools purchased more than $10 million of local food and milk during the 2013-2014 school year. About 31% of school districts plan to purchase even more local foods in future years. Read more.
Irregular heart beat: Apple Watch users can enroll in a new medical study the company is conducting with the Stanford University School of Medicine. The study uses the Apple Watch heart rate monitor to check for an irregular heartbeat. All data will be submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Apple Watch owners must download the Apple Heart Study app to take part in the study. Participants must be over the age of 22. Read more.
On standby: American Airlines says it has found pilots to staff all but “a few hundred” flights during next month’s holiday season, Bloomberg reports. The airline announced Wednesday that a computer glitch had allowed pilots to schedule vacation at the same time around Christmas, leaving as many as 15,000 flights without pilots. A spokesman for the company says a larger-than-normal number of pilots are now on standby and should cover “many” of remaining trips without assigned pilots. Read more.
