BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT | Staff writer “Buying things retail right now is just like throwing your money away." That's how one Baton Rouge shopper recently summed up inflation. The cost of pretty much everything has been going up recently, which has made a lot of people look for ways to save some dough. We talked to local thrift stores and their patrons to see how people are changing their habits. LSU's football team has locked down a hometown hero. Shelton Sampson Jr., the Catholic High star who is rated one of the top wide receivers in the country, committed yesterday to staying in Baton Rouge. Here's a profile of how Sampson earned every bit of his five-star rating. Dennis Shields had a long journey to becoming Southern University's president. In a recent speech to the school's summer graduates, he gave an intimate portrayal of his life, his mentors, and how he got to where he is. Here's the story he told. | 