Advocate staff photo by HEATHER MCCLELLAND - Bull Ride - Charné Thomas rides a mechanical bull Friday in Town Square. The bull, with the help of 100.7 FM The Tiger, was used to promote a Professional Bull Riders' event with Chris Shivers to be held at the River Center Aug. 24-25 at 7:30 p.m.

Advocate staff photo by HEATHER MCCLELLAND -- Horses graze in a field of yellow flowers off Plank Road outside Clinton on Wednesday.

Advocate staff photo by RICHARD ALAN HANNON -- LSU reasearcher Daniel Hayes holds 'theranostic particles' in a glass vial Tuesday. The bio-engineer worked with New Orleans doctors to create the particle that will allow surgeons to reduce the risk of bacterial infections in surgery patients without running the risk of creating antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Advocate staff photo by HEATHER MCCLELLAND -- Southern University ambassadors Quintez Johnson, left, and Ayanna Spivey, front row in light blue, lead freshman students in dancing the "SU-16 Shuffle" during a University Pride Rally on campus Wednesday. The dance is a new tradition at the university. Before the rally, freshmen also participated in a scavenger hunt that taught them the layout of campus, and used facts about the university's history and traditions as clues.

Advocate staff photo by ARTHUR D. LAUCK - Low rider - Grass grows around the USS Kidd on Wednesday afternoon as a low Mississippi River retreats away from the ship.

Advocate staff photo by PATRICK DENNIS -- World War II Navy veteran Clyde Meyers and his wife, Jean, clap to WWII-era music performed by the Baton Rouge Music Club Chorus Tuesday during the USS Kidd Veterans Memorial celebration of the 'Spirit of '45,' commemorating the end of WWII and the World War II generation.

Advocate staff photo by BILL FEIG -- Jacob's ladder - Jacob Burleigh paints the window facings of a building at 667 Laurel St. Monday in downtown Baton Rouge. It houses Lance Mally Studio. Burleigh works for his brother Patrick Burleigh, who owns Burleigh Painting, and Mally, his brother-in-law. They expect the work to be finished by the end of the week.

Advocate staff photo by TRAVIS SPRADLING - Watch and learn - LSU College of Humanities and Social Sciences counselor Erin Snyder, standing left, and Assistant Dean Rebecca Caire, standing right, assist students Adriana Johnson, 18, of Pine Grove, and Alaric Hinckley, 18, of Bogalusa, at an informational and scheduling meeting for incoming freshmen Tuesday at Coates Hall as part of orientation, advising and scheduling sessions. 'Roaring Into The Halls,' LSU's official move-In day, is Thursday and the first day of classes is Monday.

Advocate staff photo by LIBBY ISENHOWER - Baton Rouge Riverboat Bandit Keifor Stinson maintains possession of the ball as he tries to move past the New Orleans Gladiators defenders during their match up on August 4.

Advocate staff photo by ADAM LAU -- Workers on Monday prepare a platform for an observational well that will bore into a salt cavern approximately 300 feet from the recently-emerged sinkhole near Texas Brine's facility near Bayou Corne. Once operational, the observational well will test for the presence of natural gas and use sonar to survey the cavern's internal structure.

Advocate staff photo by HEATHER MCCLELLAND -- Robert Luckett, right, helps Dorseyville Elementary School sixth-grader Ariel Mellion log in to a laptop computer provided Wednesday by the Iberville Parish school district.

Advocate staff photo by ARTHUR D. LAUCK -- Central Intermediate School third-grade teacher Ashley Nelson hugs fourth-grader Kinslee Anastopoulos,9, before the start of school. Students in Central returned to school Monday.

Advocate Staff Photo by TRAVIS SPRADLING - Ory Poret, 93, left, a volunteer docent at the Old Governor's Mansion, shows off a side porch entered through the governor's master bedroom to tour members, from left, Marcy Davila, 16, her sister Kristin Davila, 18, and their aunt, Janie Murillo, all from Corpus Christi, Texas Poret, who is retired, was the Director of the La. State Land Office.

Advocate staff photo by LIBBY ISENHOWER -- A crowd gathers Sunday afternoon at the Mall of Louisiana to view LSU's mascot, Mike the Tiger, at CASA Kids Day.

Southern University seniore Fred Reed III learns from his clinical Coach Jennifer M. Pagel in Rochester, Minn. Reed was one of a few nursing students chosen from around the country to participate in an advanced nursing program at the Mayo Clnic.

Advocate staff photo by HEATHER MCCLELLAND -- Ernest Webb and wife Winona sit beneath a painting Webb did of them. Before them, is an array of Webb's woodcarvings. Webb learned painting, woodcarving and playing the harmonica from his mother.

Advocate staff photo by ADAM LAU -- Luke Legendre, 7, of Baton Rouge, has his T-shirt signed by offensive linemen Adam White and Luke Muncie, from left, during LSU's annual Fan Day in Baton Rouge on Saturday.

Advocate staff photo by ADAM LAU -- LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger, right, hands a signed football back to a fan while quarterbacks Stephen Rivers, Brad Kragthorpe, and Jerrard Randall, from left, also sign souvenirs during LSU's annual Fan Day in Baton Rouge on Saturday.

Advocate staff photo by ADAM LAU -- Fans fill LSU's Pete Maravich Assembly Center to meet LSU football's defensive and special teams players during LSU's annual Fan Day in Baton Rouge on Saturday.

Advocate staff photo by HEATHER MCCLELLAND -- Louisiana Association of Reptile Keepers President Bill Kelly lets Albert Wilson, 18, and Derra Leonard, 17, pet a Colombian boa constrictor wrapped around his forearm during Repticon Saturday at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales. Leonard said she is bringing home some poison dart frogs and supplies from the event. The show continues from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Advocate staff photo by HEATHER MCCLELLAND -- Bob Batten is surrounded by birds as he tosses them bread at the BREC lakes near LSU Friday. Batten, who feeds the birds about once a week, says, 'I think the pigeons recognize my truck, because once I pulled up, they came flying over.'

Advocate staff photos by HEATHER MCCLELLAND -- Bill Pattillo speaks with Jeanie and Chris Robert about the table of 'food' made entirely of gems, minerals and rocks on display Saturday at the Baton Rouge Gem and Mineral Society's annual gem and mineral show at the Marriott Hotel. Pattillo and his wife, Lois, of Texas, have been working on the dining room table-sized collection for 30 years.