Good morning, Lafayette.

Retired Army officer Kenny Cox from Mansfield recalled his heroic actions at the Pentagon on 9/11 + urged the community to honor that day during a Sept.

9 interview.

Trader Joe's is set to open its sixth Louisiana location on Sept.

17 at 1710 Camellia Blvd in Lafayette (9,192 sqft). The store will open at 8 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. daily, marking its first location outside metro New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

Susan Savoie won a $3.77M Lotto jackpot after buying the winning ticket at Super 1 Foods #641 on Ambassador Caffery Parkway during the Sept.

2 drawing (she netted $2.75M after taxes and the store earned a $37.7K bonus). This win ended nearly eight months of rolling for the jackpot.

Louisiana is launching its first recreational alligator hunt from Oct.

1 to Oct. 31, where licensed hunters can use hook & line to harvest two alligators from land. Spots will be available on a first-come basis after the initial lottery expired, aiming to manage the state's over 3 million alligators.

LSU students gathered 20 marked marsh periwinkle snails on Sunday, Sept.

6 at Grand Isle State Park to study how black mangroves and warmer weather are changing local wetlands. They will measure snail shells + check microbes to track these shifts in the ecosystem.

University of Louisiana at Lafayette received $2.1 million to boost rural healthcare, with $1.6 million supporting nursing education and $498,723 set to develop an AI platform (helping clinics track service gaps and workforce shortages) in underserved areas.

Crowley couple Tia and Taylor Bertrand received the Gift of Hope IVF Grant to help cover expensive fertility treatment costs after losing twin girls, giving them renewed hope after years of heartbreak.

The award is supported by Fertility Answers + Ovation Fertility.

High school football Week 2 kicks off with key games as Westgate faces Southside in Youngsville on Thursday, Acadiana meets Zachary, and Lafayette Christian takes on Westminster Christian — marking coach Matt Sandiford’s return — in Opelousas; New Iberia will try to break an 18-game losing streak against Ville Platte.