Good morning, Lafayette.

Beekeepers removed a swarm of 65,000 bees from a tree near Girard Hall at UL on Wednesday, Sep.

16. Meanwhile, readers voted Lafayette No. 5 on USA Today’s best fall destinations list.

Lafayette’s first Trader Joe’s is opening today at 8 a.m. after a sneak peek tour with Al Hebert, store captain Johnny Veillon, and founder Ben Powers at the new location.

Lafayette designer Nathan Walker showcased his ‘Botanical Armor’ collection at New York Fashion Week where newly crowned Miss America Regan Hutsell closed the show on Sept.

6 in a custom Romey Roe red gown (designed in days). The event highlighted Louisiana talent with local models and crew.

USA Today named Lafayette No. 5 on its list of best fall destinations for the third time, based on reader votes and local events such as Festivals Acadiens et Creoles + Gulf Brew.

Officials say the ranking reflects the city's ongoing work to welcome visitors during the season.

Festivals Acadiens et Créoles announced a free Cajun and Zydeco music festival at Girard Park in Lafayette running from Oct.

8 to Oct. 11. The event features over 65 bands + a new sixth stage called Scéne 76 in partnership with the Smithsonian Festival of Festivals.

UL Lafayette alumnus Stephen Damico, deputy system manager for NASA’s Orion Propulsion System, returned to campus Monday to share how his Baja team experience led him to work on the Artemis II moon mission.

UL Lafayette named Maria Moya and Alyssa Theriot as the first Dolores Bess Scholars to receive financial support during demanding nursing clinical rotations.

Their award comes as a final gift from the estate of longtime nursing faculty member Dolores Bess.

Beekeepers safely removed a rare open-air hive (about 65,000 bees) from a tree near Girard Hall on campus and will relocate the colony to Sunshine and Clay Hives in Acadia Parish to restore normal campus activity.

LCG plans demolition of at least five buildings at Himbola Manor Apartments on Martin Luther King Drive after a fire and continued code violations led HUD to pull funding; the Lafayette Housing Authority is working with HUD to relocate 85 tenants over the next six months.

Residents of Himbola Manor apartments face relocation as the city considers condemning the complex due to unsafe, uninhabitable conditions.

A town hall meeting will be scheduled soon to work with the Housing Authority and HUD to assist families in securing new homes while retaining housing voucher support.

Louisiana will focus on the trenches when hosting UAB on Saturday — the team plans to ramp up its physical offense during the home game in Lafayette.

Teurlings Catholic and Notre Dame will renew one of Acadiana’s oldest high school football rivalries Friday night.

Local fans are encouraged to support the teams in a longstanding contest that has become a community tradition.