Advocate staff photo by TRAVIS SPRADLINGBrush it offJosh Parker, a worker for subcontractor Flatline Concrete, of Denham Springs, cleans the concrete of a wide sidewalk being installed under the Interstate 10 overpass in the 2900 block of Perkins Road on Wednesday. The sidewalks on each side of the road are part of the Green Light Plan, the East Baton Rouge Parish road improvements program, said Don Flowers, a project superintendent with project contractor Corps Constructors LLC.

Advocate staff photo by Travis SpradlingEn FrancaiseDevin Bureau, 11, left, and Jesse Holford, 11, right, are seated doing an exercise about how a flashlight operates, in their French-language Immersion Magnet Program science class, during a stop by visiting French dignitaries Tuesday at Westdale Middle School. Standing, left to right, Philippe Aldon, attache' for French education, Damien Régnard, an elected official representing the French living abroad, Jean-Claude Brunet, consul general of France in New Orleans, and Sen. Louis Duvernois, a member of the Senate of France, greet the class's teacher, Marie George Mukuri Maka, right. At center is Clare Peterson, magnet lead teacher and coordinator of the school's French and Spanish-language Magnet Immersion Program. The delegation also toured classes Tuesday at Baton Rouge Foreign Language Academic Immersion Magnet School in the East Baton Rouge Parish school system, and at the independent, nonprofit Baton Rouge International School.

Advocate staff photo by BILL FEIGAgainst the flow Betty Trebert crosses Main Street at Fourth Street fending off wind and rain Tuesday as a traffic arrow urges downtown Baton Rouge motorists to move to the right approaching east away from the Mississippi River levee.

Amid a row of rebar protectors, Alex Rivera does concrete finishing work on Jan. 19 at the construction site for the new Baton Rouge Hampton Inn & Suites being built downtown in the 400 block of Lafayette Street.

Advocate staff photo by RICHARD ALAN HANNONLSU center Justin Hamilton (41), shoots over Virginia forward Akil Mitchell (25) on Monday night in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. LSU forward Johnny O'Bryant III is at XXXX. Hamilton scored 21 points and had nine rebounds in LSU's 57-52 loss to the No. 23-ranked Cavaliers.

Advocate staff photo by PATRICK DENNISBicyclist memorialJessica Beauvais and Jon Rogers place flowers at a 'ghost bike' memorial Monday night at the site on Perkins Road near Quail Run Drive where Nathan Crowson was killed when hit by a suspected drunk driver Saturday night.

Tam Bao Temple members ring in the Vietnamese New Year with a service, dragon dancing and fireworks. Meditating during the service are, front row from left, Chi Ngo, Trinh Vu, (second row from left) Tuyen Pham, Thu Tran and Lien Huong.

Advocate staff photo by Bryan TuckA Rhode Island red rooster peeks its head out from beneath the arm of 4H member Megan Touchet Friday at Blackham Coliseum.

Advocate staff photo by PATRICK DENNIS LSU's Courtney Jones is surrounded by Arkansas' tenacious defense by Lyndsay Harris, left and Keira Peak in the first half Sunday afternoon in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Jones led LSU with 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and a blocked shot. But she also had four of the Lady Tigers' 27 turnovers in Arkansas' 72-52 win.

Advocate staff photo by TRAVIS SPRADLINGPenn State coach Joe Paterno, left, and LSU coach Les Miles talk near midfield after the Nittany Lions won the Capital One Bowl, 19-17, on Jan. 1, 2009, in Orlando, Fla.

Advocate staff photo by RICHARD ALAN HANNONBrandi Schaeffer, far left, evokes a huge laugh from inquisitive 14-month-old Collin Tate, of Baton Rouge, as she begins a Baby Signs program at the Bluebonnet Regional Branch Library. Baby Signs teaches a sign language that children and their parents can use before the child starts talking.