Lauren Cheramie

2 days ago | theadvocate.com | Lauren Cheramie

Teen country singer John Foster is one step closer to winning season 23 of "American Idol." But first: a welcome home parade in his hometown of Addis. The parade in Foster's honor is slated to start at 5 p.m. Wednesday, along First Street in Addis and end with a concert on the waterfront in Plaquemine at 7:30 p.m. Organizers are encouraging residents to arrive early for both the parade and concert.

3 days ago | theadvocate.com | Lauren Cheramie

Rock-n-Sake, 3043 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, released the May roll of the month for Tuesdays: The sunset roll is made with tuna, snowkrab, cucumber, asparagus, jalapeños, crunchy garlic and micro cilantro wrapped in soy paper and topped with blood orange ponzu sauce. Dine in to get your choice of a rodeo roll or tiger roll for $6 when you purchase any regular-priced roll.

4 days ago | theadvocate.com | Lauren Cheramie

Louisiana teen John Foster stole the hearts (and stomachs) of the "American Idol" judges when he showed up to his audition in Nashville, Tennessee, with Cajun food from his family's business in Addis, Benoit's Country Meat Block. He walked in with three small plastic coolers filled with boudin, Benoit's seasoning and beef jerky and proceeded to tell the judges about his hopes to go to medical school. He's currently enrolled at LSU, studying biology.

4 days ago | theadvocate.com | Lauren Cheramie

John Foster, 18, of Addis, is moving on up in the competition on ABC's "American Idol." In fact, he's two steps closer to the finish line. On Sunday night's show, the remaining seven contestants were trimmed to five, Foster included. He performed "Almost There," from the film "The Princess and the Frog," for the show's "Disney nights," a tribute to his Louisiana roots. Later in the Mother's Day episode, Foster sang Brooks and Dunn's "Believe" to his mother, Amanda Benoit.

4 days ago | theadvocate.com | Lauren Cheramie

Mark Shirley, a Louisiana Sea Grant and LSU AgCenter marine extension agent, retired in March after 41 years of service. He is known for many things during his career, but most notably, he developed Marsh Maneuvers - established in 1989 as an immersive education program for 4-H students to experience Louisiana's coast. The program motivates students toward studying coastal ecology and biological sciences.