Update: According to a statement from Smoothie King, three Baton Rouge franchise locations were closed abruptly Saturday night. The company says it is working with the franchisees to re-open the stores as soon as possible. Daily Report initially reported Wednesday that the 7673 Perkins Road location near Essen Lane and the 3627 Perkins Road location in the Acadian-Perkins Plaza both appeared to have closed. The third location to shut down, at 7770 Bluebonnet Blvd. near Perkins Road, was confirmed by Smoothie King officials today.
Geaux Tigers: What began as a lighthearted jab between college fan bases has turned into a full-blown fundraiser to help wild animals, WBRZ-TV reports. LSU fan Dion Grossnickle started the GoFundMe page to buy Clemson a new costume for its mascot as a joke during LSU’s national championship win Jan. 13. As of Thursday, the fundraiser had brought in more than $3,100. Grossnickle reached out to the Clemson athletics department to see what it wanted to do with the money, and it was decided the money would go the Tigers United University Consortium, which raises money for tiger advocacy and conservation. Read the full story.
Coronavirus: The World Health Organization today declared the outbreak of coronavirus in China as a global emergency after the number of cases spiked more than tenfold in a week. The U.N. health agency defines an international emergency as an “extraordinary event” that constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response/ To date, China has reported more than 7,800 cases including 170 deaths. Eighteen other countries have since reported cases. Read the full story.
