BY VICKI FERSTEL | Staff writer Louisiana teachers who plan on having children spend years saving up limited paid-time off, preemptively take out disability insurance policies or, in some cases, find compassionate colleagues willing to “donate” unused sick days. Paid parental leave for teachers is still relatively new in the U.S., but conservative-leaning states, where lawmakers often talk about the importance of supporting families, are leading the way when it comes to offering the benefit. Staff writer Elyse Carmosino notes that Louisiana lawmakers introduced a bill last year to provide six weeks of paid leave for teachers, a benefit that state workers already receive, but pulled the proposal due to cost concerns. The Seattle Mariners selected LSU baseball sophomore left-handed pitcher Kade Anderson with the No. 3 overall pick in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft. Anderson's 180 strikeouts placed him third on LSU's single-season strikeouts list, trailing only Paul Skenes (2023) and Ben McDonald (1989). Staff writer Koki Riley has the story here. Rebekah Prevost has had her share of close calls with storms and tornados: She sheltered in a Prairieville school gym during Hurricane Andrew in 1992. As a child in St. Joseph, Missouri, she hid in a closet while a tornado roared outside. In 2009, she witnessed the roof of her apartment ripped off above her during a storm. During this year's July 3 storm, the Baton Rouge mom whispered a short prayer as she ran from the family truck to her house. That prayer was the last thing she remembers. A bolt of lightning struck a tree and then jumped to her, knocking her unconscious. She told staff writer Quinn Coffman the ordeal "has God written all over it." | 