Mentoring programs offer minorities a chance to grow

"Small-business owner Patricia Watts recently graduated from a two-year mentorship program for minority-owned companies.

But Watts, who is chief executive of FCI Management Consultants in Long Beach, didn't get just know-how out of the program. She also scored a job for her energy services company from one of the corporate mentors, sports and entertainment giant AEG."

Click here for more on how these programs make a difference to small companies.

Chalmette area is no stranger to broken hearts

"Get to know a little bit about Chalmette, an unincorporated municipal area and seat of government for St. Bernard Parish, bounded roughly by Florida Avenue on the north, the Mississippi River on south, the Murphy Oil Refinery on the east and Jean Lafitte Parkway on the west."

Click here for more on this amazingly resilient community.

Eggsploitation: Women as Commodities

"More women are donating their eggs to infertile couples and for embryonic stem cell research. One new documentary shows why that may be a very bad idea."

To read the rest of Chuck Colson's commentary, click here.

Top federal parks chief promises to help St. Louis Arch project

"A top federal official on Friday viewed the rival plans for reshaping the Arch grounds and declared the project 'one of our highest priorities,' despite the recession's pressure on government budgets."

For more on the plans to enhance the Midwest icon, click here.

Greening gets down and dirty: Farming technique tried in city schoolyard to control polluted runoff

"To be truly green, you have to get down and dirty, it seems. As Baltimore officials begin to tackle the polluted runoff fouling the harbor and the Chesapeake Bay, they are turning to a technique long used by farmers."

Click here for more on an old technique that's working in today's world.

If wary of heartburn meds, some natural remedies may work

"Can you fight acid reflux without heavy-duty medications? Here are some possibilities."


For more on how you may be able to reduce or avoid some heartburn medications, click here.

For Gulf tourism, problem is perception — not oil

"On the great yawning porch that once belonged to Confederate president Jefferson Davis, two women sit in rockers listening to the cicadas and looking out over Mississippi Sound as they wait for their tour to begin."

Click here to read more about what's happening on the Gulf coast.